Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba got bad news for 20,000 intern teachers currently serving in junior schools.

The teachers who were recruited in November and posted to schools in January 2025 are hopeful for a confirmation to permanent and pensionable (pnp) terms come January 2026.

TSC gave the teachers one year internship contract running from 1st January to 31st December 2025.

However the latest remarks by CS Ogamba is what has cast doubt on whether the teachers will be confirmed to pnp terms at the end of their contract.

Though the Treasury CS John Mbadi assured the teachers of conversion to pnp in January including in a statement this week, CS Ogamba says this is not cast in a stone.

While speaking during a Citizen TV’s ‘Elimu Mashinani’ segment held in Kilifi on September 23, 2025, Ogamba hinted that the teachers contract could be renewed for another one year.

The CS said the teachers will be confirmed after a year or two sparking panic among the junior school intern teachers.

This simply means the confirmation is not certain and the government may renew the internship contract for another year.

This is despite a statement this week by CS Treasury John Mbadi who said the government will set aside a sh. 54 billion budget to confirm the teachers to pnp in January 2026.

In 2024 a total of 39,550 junior school teachers pushed the government to confirm them to pnp terms after carrying out countrywide strike.

TSC had on its payroll a total of 46,000 teachers who were then serving on internship terms.

These were 21,550 junior school and 4,000 primary school intern teachers who were recruited in February 2023.

450 secondary school intern teachers recruited in April 2023. 18,000 junior school and 2,000 primary school intern teachers recruited in September 2023.

Some of the interns had renewed their contract and had served for two years but still confirmation was not on sight.

However through their national strike the teachers forced the government to convert them to pnp.

TSC absorbed them to pnp payroll in January 2025. After serving for six months as a requirement for probation the teachers payslips have now changed from prob. (probation) to pnp.

Besides better salaries the teachers also enjoy a comprehensive medical cover, entitlement to leaves and personal loans among other benefits.

The Education CS also said additional 16,000 junior school intern teachers will be recruited in 2026.

Currently TSC is finalizing recruitment of 24,000 junior school intern teachers.

The teachers will be posted to schools in January to support the Competency Based Education (CBE).