Intern teachers employed by the the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) can now sigh with relief as their conversion to permanent and pensionable employment is now assured.
The teachers will receive their employment and appointment letters in January 2025 when schools reopen for first time.
Many sub counties are now carrying out document verification for the serving intern teachers.
The serving interns are only required to present their identity cards (ID) during the verification process at the TSC sub county directors offices.
The document verification exercise at sub county level which started this week will run till 17th October.
The teachers will then be required to fill TSC employment forms that will seal the deal that will see them earn better salaries.
TSC advertised a total of 46,000 teaching jobs on permanent terms where, 6,000 posts are for primary schools, 39, 550 posts for junior schools and 450 posts for secondary schools.
Eligible candidates were given upto the midnight of 8th October 2024 to apply online. TSC advertised the vacancies as a requirement inline with the laws of Kenya.
However from the recruitment scoresheet it released, the Commission has elevated all intern teachers and secured their employment to permanent terms.
TSC has awarded 50 marks to serving intern teachers in primary, junior and secondary schools.
In the scoresheet the lowest serving intern teacher in junior secondary scooped a maximum of 62 marks while the lowest non-intern teacher scored a maximum of 45 marks.
TSC has previously stated that teachers will only be recruited to permanent terms after going through the internship process.
Last month Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said sh 18.7 billion had been released for confirming the 46,000 intern teachers.
“Iam pleased to announce the release of Ksh 18.7 billion for hiring intern teachers and 13.5 billiion to implement the CBA on salary increments. We are committed to uplifting the standards of education and ensuring our teachers are well compesated,” said Ogamba.
The confirmation of the 46,000 intern teachers was to happen in July this year. TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia said they postponed the exercise to January 2025 due to inadequate funds.
She said the amount allocated is short of the sh30 billion TSC needs to pay the intern teachers under the new terms for a whole year until , July 2025, the next budget allocation.
TSC estimates the sh18.7 billion budget provided for the conversion can only cater for the interns for a period of six months.
This means the confirmation which was to be done from July 2024 had to be delayed to January next year.
TSC has on its payroll a total of 46,000 teachers serving on internship terms.
These are 21,550 junior school and 4,000 primary school intern teachers recruited in February 2023.
450 secondary school intern teachers recruited in April 2023. 18,000 junior school and 2,000 primary school intern teachers recruited in September 2023.
TSC is also planning to recruit 20,000 intern teachers this year. Of these, 18,000 will be for junior secondary schools and 2,000 for primary schools.
Currently the intern teachers earn a monthly stipend of sh 20,000 for the junior and secondary and 15,000 for the primary school intern teachers.
However the teachers lose around sh 3,000 from their monthly stipend from deductions such as housing fund, NSSF and NHIF.
After confirmation the P1 teachers will start at job group B5 where they will earn a basic salary of sh 21,756 in minimum to a maximum of sh 27,195 after serving for three years.
The teachers will be entitled to sh 4,000 as commuter allowance and sh 4,000 as leave allowance paid once a year in January.
They will be entitled to a house allowance of sh 3,200 per month except those who live in Nairobi sh 6,750, those in major Municipalities; Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii and Kitale sh 4,500 and those in other former minor Municipalities sh 3,850.
Those working in hardship areas will get sh 6,600 as hardship allowance. The teachers will also get comprehensive medical cover paid through their monthly medical allowance.
The teachers will get automatic promotion to job group C1 after serving for three years.
The graduate junior and secondary school intern teachers will start at job group C2 which is the entry grade for graduate teachers.
Here the teachers will earn a basic salary of sh 34,955 to a maximum of sh 43,694 after serving for three years.
The teachers will get sh 5,000 as commuter allowance and sh 6,000 as leave allowance paid once in a year.
They will be entitled to sh 7,500 as house allowance except those who live in Nairobi sh 16,500, those in major Municipalities; Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii and Kitale sh 12,800 and those in other former minor Municipalities sh 9,600.
Those working in hardship areas will get sh 10,900 as hardship allowance. The teachers will also get comprehensive medical cover paid through their monthly medical allowance.
The teachers will get automatic promotion to job group C3 after serving for three years.