NAIROBI, Kenya — The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has issued a stern directive requiring the daily tracking of Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers’ attendance, amid a nationwide strike threatening to paralyze learning as schools reopen for the second term.
In an internal memo dated April 27, 2026, TSC Director of Staffing Antonina Lentoijoni instructed all regional and county directors to immediately begin verifying and consolidating daily attendance records. The move is widely seen as a precursor to disciplinary action, with the commission contemplating sacking interns who continue to boycott work.
Strict Reporting Framework Introduced
To enforce the directive, the TSC has introduced a mandatory Excel reporting template for all school headteachers. The data must be forwarded to the TSC headquarters by the close of business every day.
“In order to facilitate timely decision making and effective management of Junior School Intern Teachers, you are required to coordinate the daily monitoring of attendance for all serving Junior School Interns within your respective regions,” stated Lentoijoni in the memo.
The structured reporting format demands two key datasets:
- Sheet One: A continuous list detailing individual intern teachers who fail to report for duty, including specific reasons for their absence such as sick leave, official assignments, or unauthorized absence.
- Sheet Two: A daily numerical summary of present and absent intern teachers categorized by county.
Headteachers have been cautioned that the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of these reports are critical. For more insights on teachers’ welfare and employment guidelines, visit teacher.co.ke.
Interns Demand Permanent Terms
The crackdown coincides with protests organized by JSS intern teachers and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet). The educators are demanding that the government confirm them on permanent and pensionable terms.
Beyond employment terms, the striking teachers have cited a myriad of grievances. These include systemic challenges with the Social Health Authority (SHA) insurance scheme, delayed payments to Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) invigilators, and the broader lack of autonomy within junior secondary schools.
Legal Battles and Future Uncertainty
The TSC currently manages a workforce of 44,000 JSS teachers serving on internship contracts. While 20,000 interns recruited in January 2025 had their contracts extended through December 2026, the fate of an additional 24,000 hired earlier this year remains unclear.
Recently, the Court of Appeal dealt a blow to the commission by declaring the internship programme illegal and discriminatory, ruling that fully trained and registered teachers cannot be employed merely as “trainees”. Despite the ruling and subsequent political assurances that 20,000 interns will be absorbed after the July budget, tension remains high across Kenyan schools.
Early spot checks indicate that fear of job losses has forced a majority of JSS teachers back to the classrooms, despite the official strike notices issued by Kuppet county branches.