Ruto Orders Automatic Permanent Employment for Over 44,000 Intern Teachers
The announcement, made during the National Education Conference in Naivasha on Thursday, May 7, comes amid growing pressure from intern teachers who have staged nationwide demonstrations demanding confirmation into permanent employment after years of service.
Addressing education stakeholders, President Ruto reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of teachers, saying the internship programme was never intended to keep educators on temporary terms indefinitely.
“Every teacher can only serve for two years on contract after which they transition to permanent and pensionable terms,” Ruto declared.
The Head of State explained that the government recruited the teachers under an understanding that after two years of internship, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) would absorb them into stable employment terms.
“I hope there are no teachers who have served more than two years as interns because that is not what I bargained for,” the President stated.
His remarks are expected to offer relief to thousands of teachers who have in recent weeks paralysed learning in several public schools through protests and demonstrations over delayed confirmation into permanent positions.
For nearly two weeks since the reopening of schools for the second term, intern teachers across different counties have accused the government of neglecting their welfare despite years of service under low pay and uncertain contracts.
The demonstrations disrupted learning in many institutions, with some teachers threatening to boycott classrooms entirely until their grievances are addressed.
Education stakeholders have repeatedly warned that prolonged uncertainty surrounding intern teachers could negatively affect curriculum delivery, especially under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) system that heavily relies on adequate staffing levels.
President Ruto, however, indicated that the government is working toward a more sustainable staffing model for teachers across the country.
“As the situation improves, we can reduce it to one year, and when our situation improves further, we can hire all our teachers on permanent terms at once,” he added.
The Standard
Previously, TSC officials had acknowledged the frustrations among interns but maintained that confirmation into permanent and pensionable terms depended largely on budgetary allocations from the National Treasury.
The commission has also faced criticism over plans to recruit additional intern teachers while thousands already serving remain unconfirmed.
Some education stakeholders have further questioned whether the internship programme has gradually become a cost-cutting mechanism that denies qualified teachers full employment benefits despite handling the same workload as permanently employed colleagues.
Under the internship arrangement, teachers earn lower monthly stipends and are not entitled to several benefits enjoyed by permanently employed staff, including pension contributions and comprehensive allowances.]
The issue has become increasingly politically sensitive as the government continues implementing education reforms and expanding junior secondary schools under the CBC framework.
The government has in recent years recruited thousands of intern teachers as part of efforts to bridge staffing gaps while managing public expenditure pressures.
Even so, attention is now shifting to how quickly the TSC and Treasury will implement the President’s directive, with thousands of teachers across the country waiting for official communication on their transition to permanent employment.
Ruto Orders Automatic Permanent Employment for Over 44,000 Intern Teachers
