TSC to Train Teachers on AI Tools and Overhaul the TPAD Online Appraisal System

TSC to Train Teachers on AI Tools and Overhaul the TPAD Online Appraisal System.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has opened bidding for a project to train teachers on artificial intelligence tools, alongside a separate tender to rebuild its online appraisal system. Both notices were published via MyGov on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, and both close on Monday, October 12, 2026.

This is not a training you sign up for directly yet. TSC is first hiring a consultant to design and deliver the programme. Here is what has actually been announced, what it means for the TPAD system you already use, and what to expect next.

What TSC Announced on September 29

TSC published a set of procurement notices covering several unrelated projects at once. The two that matter most to serving teachers are:

1. A request for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to hire a consultant who will retool teachers on digital capacity building, pedagogical innovation, AI applications, data ethics, and practical AI tools for Competency-Based Education (CBE).
2. A tender to review, redevelop, deploy and maintain the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) online system — the portal every teacher currently uses each term for self-appraisal.

Both fall under TSC’s 2026/2027 procurement plan, and both were set to close on the same date: October 12, 2026.

Read Also: TSC TPAD Portal Login Guide: Appraisal, TPD, Reports (2026)

The AI Teacher Training Tender: TSC/EOI/01/2026-2027

This is an Expression of Interest, not an open tender — TSC is asking consulting firms and organisations, not individual teachers, to show they’re qualified to design and run the programme. The scope covers:

• Digital capacity building — general ICT and digital-literacy skills for classroom use
• Pedagogical innovation — new teaching approaches enabled by technology
• Artificial intelligence applications — practical AI tools teachers can use in lesson preparation, marking, and learner support
• Data ethics — how to use learner and school data responsibly, a subject that hasn’t had much formal attention in Kenyan teacher training so far
• Practical AI tools for CBE — applying AI specifically within the Competency-Based Education framework, rather than as a generic add-on

Deadline for expressions of interest: Monday, October 12, 2026.

Because this is a consultancy procurement, there’s no fixed date yet for when actual classroom-facing training will begin. Once TSC appoints a consultant, expect a rollout announcement — likely through TSC circulars to Sub-County Directors and school heads, similar to how the June 2026 JSS ICT training was communicated to schools in all 47 counties.

Why the Timing Matters: TPAD Is Already Changing

The TPAD tender isn’t happening in isolation. TSC has been developing a successor to the current TPAD2 portal — commonly referred to as TPAD3 — which, as of mid-2026, was still in piloting. Reported changes include cutting the number of teaching standards from five to four, introducing per-learning-area scoring, and eventually moving to a new portal address. TPAD2 remains the active system for now.

Read Also: TSC Junior School Teachers Interviews 2026: Scoring, Documents and Dates

The new tender to “review, develop, deploy and maintain” the TPAD online system appears to be the procurement vehicle for formalising this transition. If you’re a teacher currently filing appraisals on tpad2.tsc.go.ke, this is worth watching — a new consultant taking over system development could mean interface changes, a revised set of appraisal standards, or a migration process in the coming terms.

Table: TSC Tenders in the September 29, 2026 Notice

TSC bundled several unrelated procurement notices together. Here is the full set, so you know which ones actually concern teaching staff and which are internal TSC operations:

Only the first four affect teaching and learning directly. The last four are routine internal-operations procurement and are included here only for completeness — they don’t affect classroom teachers.

Where an exact closing time wasn’t confirmed in the public notice, check TSC’s website or the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP) directly before preparing a bid, since procurement deadlines can shift.

Read Also: TSC Secretary/CEO Job Vacancy 2026: Salary, Requirements and How to Apply

Internet Connectivity for Primary Schools (KPEEL Program)

The connectivity tender (TSC/T/KPEEL/04/2026-2027) sits under the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning (KPEEL) Program, a Ministry of Education initiative running from 2022–2026, funded by the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, and the LEGO Foundation. KPEEL’s core goal is reducing regional disparities in learning outcomes and improving girls’ retention in upper primary school, largely through school grants and infrastructure support in underserved counties.

This tender is specifically for internet connectivity to support “virtual learning infrastructure” in primary schools — a prerequisite if AI tools and digital pedagogy are going to be usable beyond well-resourced urban schools. Without it, AI training for teachers in low-connectivity counties risks being difficult to apply in practice.

The English Teacher Support Tender

Separately, TSC issued a Request for Proposals (TSC/SEQIP/RFP/01/2026-2029) for a School-Based Teacher Support System (SBTSS) focused on English content and pedagogy, targeting teachers of Grades 1–6 and Junior School Grades 7–9, across all 47 counties and refugee-camp-based schools. This is a multi-year engagement (2026–2029) and, unlike the AI training EOI, is not framed around artificial intelligence — it’s a subject-specific teacher-support programme, run under the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP) rather than KPEEL.

Who’s Behind This, and Why It’s Happening Now

This wave of procurement lands during a period of organisational transition at TSC. Following Dr. Nancy Macharia’s exit at the end of her second term in June 2025, TSC has been under acting leadership, with Eveleen Mitei serving as acting Secretary/CEO. TSC re-advertised the substantive CEO position on September 29, 2026 — the same week as this training and TPAD notice — after a High Court ruling quashed an earlier recruitment process. TSC Chairman Jamleck Muturi signed off on the fresh CEO advert, with applications for that role closing October 30, 2026.

None of this delays the training or TPAD tenders, but it means major technology decisions at TSC are currently being driven by the Commission’s secretariat and acting leadership rather than a substantively appointed CEO.

What This Means for Ordinary Teachers Right Now

If you’re a classroom teacher, there is nothing to apply for yet — the current notices are addressed to consulting firms and technology providers, not individual TSC employees. Practically, here’s what to expect and do:

• No action needed immediately. You don’t need to register anywhere or submit anything for the AI training itself at this stage.
• Keep using TPAD2 as normal. The tender to redevelop the appraisal system doesn’t change your current appraisal obligations. Continue creating and submitting appraisals through tpad2.tsc.go.ke each term until TSC formally announces a transition.
• Expect a phased rollout. Past TSC digital initiatives — such as the June 2026 JSS ICT training — were rolled out through circulars to schools across all 47 counties over a defined training window, not all at once nationally.
• Data ethics will likely feature in training content. If your school hasn’t discussed data protection around learner records, this is a good moment to raise it internally, since TSC’s own tender flags it as a training priority.
• If you’re in a school with poor connectivity, the parallel KPEEL internet tender is relevant to you even if you never touch a procurement document — it’s meant to make the eventual AI tools usable in your school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the TSC AI training compulsory for all teachers?
TSC has not published details on whether the eventual training will be mandatory, optional, or rolled out to selected teachers first. The current notice only concerns hiring a consultant to design the programme.

Will teachers pay anything to attend the AI training?
No fee has been announced. TSC training programmes for serving teachers are typically funded through the Commission’s budget or development partners, not paid for by teachers.

Does this replace TPAD2 immediately?
No. TPAD2 remains the active appraisal portal. The new tender covers reviewing and redeveloping the system, which may connect to TSC’s already-reported work on a TPAD3 successor, but no cutover date has been announced.

Where can I get the full tender documents?
TSC states documents are available free of charge from its Supply Chain Management Services Division, or through the TSC website and the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP). This applies to firms bidding on the tenders, not to teachers awaiting training.

Is this connected to KNEC’s digital exams plan?
Not directly. KNEC is separately preparing to pilot digital assessments in senior schools from 2027. The AI training tender is about teaching practice and appraisal systems, not examinations, though both point toward the same broader digitisation of Kenya’s CBE system.

TSC to Train Teachers on AI Tools and Overhaul the TPAD Online Appraisal System.

Follow Teachers Updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. Get in touch with our editors at hello@teachersupdates.news.