
4 Schools Set to Become Model STEM Centers Under CEMASTEA Outreach Program
Four schools in Nakuru County, Kenya, are to become model centres for promoting science subjects across the region, under a government scheme designed to improve student performance.
The Keriko, Njoro Day, Larmudiac and Mau Narok secondary schools will benefit from the initiative, overseen by the Ministry of Education’s Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA).
Stem schools will provide specialised curricula, while students will be linked with higher education institutions and female students in particular will be supported in retaining interest in science subjects.
The schools are to be equipped with science equipment donated under the programme, and their teachers will be trained to improvise with locally available materials to make lessons more engaging.
A study found that many students do not consider science as a viable option, perceiving it as too difficult, while many schools lack adequate infrastructure to teach science subjects effectively.
STEM learning is to be focused on critical thinking and teamwork to develop 21st century skills in students. Robotics kits have been supplied to secondary schools, while coding and technology are also being taught.
Kenya has struggled to address the declining quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at primary, secondary and tertiary level, with poverty, lack of interest from students and inadequately trained teachers among the causes.
A report from the World Bank in 2018 indicated that sub-Saharan Africa faced a significant shortage of workers with STEM skills, with just 7% of students in the region completing their secondary education with the requisite knowledge.
Kenya’s government has acknowledged the significance of STEM in driving scientific innovation and spurring economic growth, as part of its Vision 2030 plan.
This programme forms part of a wider move towards equipping learners with the technological skills to meet future demand in the labour market, and underlines the importance of STEM learning in Africa’s economic development.
As Mrs Beatrice Macharia of CEMASTEA noted, there is a pressing need to inspire students from a young age to pursue STEM subjects, to reduce skill shortages in the future and help Kenya realise a sustainable economy.
4 Schools Set to Become Model STEM Centers Under CEMASTEA Outreach Program