“Ksh 15k- 20k Monthly Stipend Offered Is Too Little.” Intern Teachers Tell TSC

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Intern teachers are up in arms against the KSh 15,000 monthly stipend they are offered by the Teachers Service Commission, TSC.

 

 

They added that, whereas they do the same amount of work as permanent and pensionable teachers, their remuneration leaves a lot to be desired Furthermore, they took fault with the fact that the commission has so many of them on internship but perennially offer very few job openings.

 

 

 

Gone are the days when getting a job in the noble field of teaching was easy as long as one walked out of a Teachers Training College (TTC) with the right papers. Intern Teachers Cry Foul Over Terms of Attachment, 20k Monthly Stipends.

 

 

 

These days, not only is it difficult to get a slot in employment but even internships are not easy to come by. Intern teachers have cried foul that their terms of engagement with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) are punitive.

 

 

 

Contracts last 1 year.

To begin with, the posts are advertised for those who are not employed by the government body but have TSC numbers.

 

 

Shortlisted candidates attend the interviews which are done just in a similar manner like those for permanent and pensionable employees,” one of them revealed to the media.

 

 

“We are already in the system, we renewed the contract on 1st January most of us have not been paid and no communication has been made as to why,” lamented another.

 

 

 

The contract is for a year and if one doesn’t secure a permanent and pensionable position in another school, the contract is renewed. They faulted the fact that there are many intern teachers but when the time comes for recruitment under permanent and pensionable terms TSC advertises fewer vacancies.

 

 

Interviews are worth 30 marks Interns are awarded 30 marks during permanent and pensionable interviews, a figure that cuts across all interns regardless of when one became an intern.

 

 

 

“There is a score sheet used to award marks to the interviewees, so if you are an intern you get 30 marks extra compared to non-interns,” said another intern. “Away from those who tried and got the slots, there is us who weren’t lucky. You have to compete for fairness, something that is driving many out of the career,” another one complained.

 

 

The terms essentially lock out a large number of applicants, especially those who finished college recently. Earn between KSh 15k and 20k Those appointed are posted in the schools they merited, with a salary KSh 20,000 for secondary schools and KSh 15,000 for primary schools.

 

 

Ridiculously, once the intern teacher gets posted to a school, he or she is expected to do all the roles of a trained teacher only that the salary is lower than teachers employed by TSC.

 

As much as intern teachers do not draw any allowances from the employer, they are expected to pay NHIF and the salary is also taxed.

 

Those who are in regions far away from home have to contend with the meagre stipends to make ends meet, which is a demoralizing factor for many.

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