The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has officially approved a year-long extension of internship contracts for all serving Junior School Teacher Interns, marking a significant step in stabilizing learning as the country prepares for the 2026 academic year. The extension will run from 1st January 2026 to 31st December 2026, aligning with the Teacher Internship Policy & Guidelines (2019), and is intended to ensure seamless continuity of teaching and learning in all junior school institutions.
The announcement, dated 27th November 2025, directs that all interns will remain stationed in their current schools, with the renewal being contingent upon their formal acceptance. The Commission emphasized the importance of avoiding disruptions that would arise if the current contracts—set to lapse on 31st December 2025—were not renewed on time.
TSC has placed responsibility on county education administrators to ensure that all serving interns receive their contract extension offers promptly. The Commission has set a firm deadline of 20th December 2025 for the issuance of all extension letters. This tight timeline reflects the Commission’s urgency in ensuring that the new contracts are active well before the new school year begins.
Every intern is expected to confirm acceptance or decline of the contract, and counties have been mandated to supervise this process meticulously.
Conditions for Accepting the Internship Extension
Interns who choose to accept the extended contract must fulfill two key requirements:
Sign the acceptance section of the offer letter.
Submit a valid Personal Accident Cover that will be active throughout the new engagement period.
The requirement for a Personal Accident Cover underscores TSC’s commitment to ensuring the welfare and safety of interns as they perform their duties in classrooms across the country. This also ensures uniformity in compliance with existing policies on professional engagement within public institutions.
Procedure for Interns Declining the Offer
For interns who decide not to take up the extension, TSC has outlined a clear exit procedure:
They must sign the decline section of the offer letter.
They are required to return all institutional property in their possession and clear with the Head of Institution.
This systematic process ensures accountability while allowing TSC to prepare replacements where necessary.
Mandatory Updating of Acceptance Status on the Entry/Exit Portal
To streamline record-keeping, TSC has instructed all county offices to update the status of every intern—whether accepting or declining—on the Entry/Exit Portal. This digital step is crucial for accurate planning, payroll management, deployment logistics, and ensuring that no school is left understaffed at the beginning of the new academic year.
Submission of Reports to TSC Headquarters
In a major compliance directive, counties must compile and submit the following documents to the Director of Staffing by 23rd January 2026:
A full list of interns in their jurisdiction
Copies of the official Offer Letters
A summarized county report indicating all acceptances and declines
These submissions must be emailed to [email protected] and copied to [email protected], ensuring that TSC headquarters receives timely and accurate data for nationwide verification.
Replacement of Interns Who Decline the Offer
To avoid staffing gaps in junior schools, TSC has ordered counties to prepare proposals for the replacement of interns who opt out of the extension. These proposals must be based on existing merit lists, ensuring fairness and adherence to the established recruitment criteria. Counties are required to attach these proposals alongside their summary reports for final approval by the Commission.
Emphasis on Compliance and Readiness for January 2026
TSC has underscored the need for strict supervision and coordination at the county level. Officials are expected to ensure:
Full compliance with the extension process
Prompt communication to all interns regarding the status of their contracts
Accurate updating of acceptance data
Overall readiness ahead of the January 2026 reporting date
To support this structured process, TSC has attached an official Extension of Internship Contract Template, which counties must use to guarantee uniformity across all regions.
A Boost to Junior School Stability
The decision to extend the contracts is a significant relief for schools, learners, and the junior secondary level at large. With the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) still transitioning and teacher shortages being a recurrent challenge, retaining trained interns for another year ensures continuity and minimizes classroom disruptions.
For thousands of interns, this extension provides an opportunity to gain further experience, strengthen teaching skills, and contribute meaningfully to the education sector throughout 2026.
