The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has clarified that its internship programme does not guarantee automatic absorption into permanent and pensionable employment, a move that has sparked concern among thousands of junior secondary school teachers serving under internship terms.
According to TSC and the Ministry of Education, the internship initiative is meant to give teachers practical experience in the classroom. However, officials say the programme was never designed to provide a direct path to permanent employment. The internship policy, created in 2019, states that the contracts last between three and 12 months and may be extended — but hiring is not assured.
The clarification comes at a time when more than 20,000 junior school intern teachers were expecting to be confirmed to permanent terms. Instead, TSC has extended their internship contracts for another year, citing budget constraints in the 2025/2026 financial year. The government did not allocate funds for converting the teachers into permanent staff.
Intern teachers currently earn a monthly stipend of about KSh20,000 before deductions, despite handling full teaching loads in schools across the country. Many say they had hoped to secure long-term employment after completing their internship period.
The decision has led to protests, with some teachers holding demonstrations in various counties and others moving to court to challenge the contract extensions. Unions and education stakeholders have also called on the government to provide a clear roadmap for the transition of intern teachers to permanent positions.
For now, TSC maintains that permanent employment will only be possible when funds become available, leaving thousands of young teachers uncertain about their future in the profession.
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