JSS Teachers Call off Three-Week Strike after Dialogue  

Junior secondary school teachers in Kenya have agreed to sign a return-to-work formula, ending their three-week strike.

The agreement, which was reached on Madaraka Day, results from extensive negotiations between Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and Junior Secondary School Association, addressing critical grievances related to the teachers' employment terms and working conditions.

This decision follows the National Assembly Committee on Education's promise of hiring 26,000 JSS intern teachers by TSC on permanent and pensionable terms starting July 1st, 2024 after the government allocated 8.3 billion Kenyan shillings towards the course. 

While confirming the end of the strike, the Kakamega County Junior Secondary School Teachers Association chair, Kennedy Wandia, has called on the government to honor its promises to avoid similar disruptions in the future.

"The strike has been called off to pave way for cooperation between the affected parties. We welcome the whole idea and we're hoping the government will adhere to it's word on this course," uttered Wandia.

"We also expect that they will factor in the remaining 20,000 teachers to conform with the court's decision. We believe the government will do the need but if they will not expedite the process, we'll be left with no option but to let the rubber meet the road," he added.

Speaking during an educational day event in Shinyalu, Kakamega County, a few hours before the agreement was met, the National Assembly Budget and Appropriation Committee chair Ndindi Nyoro urged the Teachers Service Commission to fast-track the employment process.

Educational event in Shinyalu 

"We have allocated  enough funds  in the budget to enable all the JSS teachers in the country to get permanent and pensionable employment in this financial year and we are now asking TSC to hasten the employment process so that students can resume classes," he said. 

The dispute resolution, which lasted three weeks, marks a critical step in ensuring that the affected learners can resume their studies without further interruptions.

Also in attendance was the Shinyalu Constituency Member of Parliament Fred Ikana, who stressed the need for more teachers to be employed, pointing to this as a big hurdle facing schools in his area.

"Lack of enough employed teachers by the TSC is a major challenge facing schools here in Shinyalu  and the country at large. I am urging the national government to consider hiring more teachers so as to lift the financial burden that parents bear when paying extra money to facilitate salaries for teachers employed by school boards," said Ikana.