Employment Fate of 66,000 Teachers Hangs in Limbo Amid Budgetary Cuts

The employment fate of 46,000 intern teachers under the Junior Secondary School (JSS) program and 20,000 new teachers promised by the government is now uncertain due to recent budgetary cuts. The Ministry of Education, through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), had assured that the 46,000 intern teachers would be employed in July. However, this timeline has been pushed back to January next year.

The 20,000 new teachers will also face delays, with their employment now set for October this year. These delays come in the wake of austerity measures enforced by the government following the withdrawal of the finance bill 2024.

TSC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nancy Macharia revealed that the National Treasury directed the commission to utilize only 15 percent of their current budget, which is only sufficient to cover the salaries of those already on the payroll.

“We have written to Treasury telling them what will be affected by the cuts. We don’t have that money to implement end of the month. The warranty we have is to spend 15 of our budget which means we are paying salaries,” Macharia said.

The government had initially planned to fully employ the JSS teachers, who are currently in internships, at a cost of Sh18.3 billion this month. However, the collapse of the finance bill created a budget deficit of Sh346 billion. President William Ruto stated that the government would not borrow the entire amount but would instead borrow Sh169 billion.

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The budgetary cuts have also led to impending conflicts between the government and teachers, as the current financial year’s cuts will impact the implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the medical cover scheme.

In the supplementary budget estimates for 2024/2025, Macharia informed MPs that their overall budget has been reduced by Sh10 billion. This reduction signals delays in the second phase of the CBA agreement’s implementation.

As the education sector grapples with these financial constraints, the government and the TSC must navigate these challenges to fulfill their commitments to the intern and new teachers. The delay in employment and implementation of key agreements underscores the need for a balanced approach to budgetary allocations, ensuring that essential sectors like education are adequately funded.

The future of these teachers, and by extension the quality of education in Kenya, hinges on the government’s ability to address these financial shortfalls and deliver on its promises. The teaching fraternity, along with students and parents, will be watching closely to see how these issues are resolved in the coming months.

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