The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has continued to release termination letters to junior secondary school (JSS) intern teachers despite warning from Ministry of Education.
Yesterday a number of counties issued termination letters to the intern teachers who were on strike and failed to respond to ‘show cause’ letters.
In Kwale, 110 termination letters were issued. In Kericho 164 termination letters were issued despite interventions by Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) county officials.
Last week the Ministry of Education warned TSC against sacking the 742 JSS intern teachers. The Education Principle Secretary Belio Kipsang revealed that the Ministry was seeking a review of the decision taken by TSC.
The PS labelled the matter a labour issue, which he said would be dealt with by the Labour Ministry and the teachers’ employer- the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
“I think there is a labour dispute and all such matters have their ways of being dealt with,” he said, while in Nakuru.
“Even this one will be dealt with within the framework that we deal with the labour issues.”
Kuppet already petitioned the TSC to reinstate the sacked teachers. The union has formally written to the commission for the tutors to be reinstated within 14 days or that it would seek alternative avenues, including going to court.
Kuppet Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima said although the teachers are not members of the union, Kuppet would go to court on their behalf in the “public interest”.
TSC issued ‘show cause’ letters to 10,348 JSS teachers, giving them 14 days to respond and report back to work.
Some 9,606 teachers reported back, leaving out 742 whose contracts were cancelled. In total, 46,000 teachers are on contract.
JSS leadership called off their strike after the government said they would be employed on permanent terms.
The JSS teachers went on strike last month when schools reopened for the second term.