Term Two Closing Date Announced As TSC Promotions Deepen Pressure On Teachers

As schools across Kenya prepare to close for the second term, teachers and school administrators are racing against time to complete key academic and administrative tasks amid mounting pressure from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

According to the Ministry of Education’s 2026 school calendar, public schools are expected to close on July 31. However, several institutions, particularly secondary schools, are expected to end the term earlier to allow time for internal planning and preparations before students leave.

The shortened timeline has intensified pressure on teachers, who are working to finalize assessments, compile reports, and complete the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) process before schools close.

Although TPAD was introduced more than a decade ago to improve teacher performance, support professional development, and guide career progression, many educators say the online platform continues to present significant challenges.

Teachers, school heads, and curriculum support officers across the country have raised concerns over frequent system failures, slow loading speeds, and recurring technical glitches that have made it difficult to complete appraisals within the required timelines.

The pressure is even greater this year as TSC has linked TPAD compliance to its upcoming promotion exercise. The Commission is expected to promote 30,000 teachers in September following the allocation of Sh2 billion to support the exercise, making successful completion of the appraisal process increasingly important.

However, many teachers fear that persistent technical problems on the TPAD portal could jeopardize their eligibility despite months of work.

Educators report that the system often becomes inaccessible during peak usage periods, with users struggling to log in due to slow response times and repeated timeouts.

Even after gaining access, many say the portal frequently fails to save appraisal scores, comments, and supporting documents after lengthy data entry sessions. In some cases, teachers spend hours uploading lesson plans, self-assessment reports, and professional evidence, only for the information to disappear following server crashes or connection failures.

The challenges have affected not only classroom teachers but also school administrators, who rely on the platform to review, verify, and approve appraisals before submission. With the school closure deadline fast approaching, many are calling for improvements to the system to ensure teachers are not unfairly disadvantaged by technical issues beyond their control.

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