JSS students pose with STEM educational materials donated by Concern Worldwide to promote uptake of STEM among students heading to grade 10. Photo: Courtesy.
The government is aiming to ensure that 60% of grade nine learners choose the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), pathway in the current education curriculum Competence Based Education (CBE).
According to Peter Magiri County Director of Education in Marsabit County, the move is to ensure that students get into the pathway with enough knowledge, which will help them to select schools they prefer to join in their Grade 10, 11 and 12.
Speaking during the handing over of the science based equipment to Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), donated by Concern Worldwide, Magiri praised the current education curriculum CBE, saying that the curriculum gives the students the luxury of choosing their career paths at an early stage.
“As the government policy of having 60% transit to senior schools to do STEM pathway, we are encouraging our teachers to ensure that the students interact with material for the pathway, so that we can achieve that,” Magiri stated.
Additionally, Magiri lauded Concern Worldwide for boosting education sector in the county and bridging the gap in STEM pathway by donating educational materials, that promote the uptake of the pathway.
According to Magiri, 25 schools in the county have received STEM education material from the organisation in phases, in the first phase they donated to four schools, phase two 13, three eight schools and in the fourth phase they donated 8 schools.
However, he called on leaders from the county to check on 155 schools within the county that do not have laboratories that can promote STEM, and support the schools with the relevant educational material, while they construct classes and also include laboratories.
“I am making an appeal to government and other well-wishers to come and give us support, this is just 25 out of 175 JSS in the county, Our schools are far from each other, and this has disadvantaged junior school learners, as some of them may not have interacted with a facility which is equipped and this could give them a challenge especially when they choosing the pathways to senior schools,” Magiri pleaded.
Benson Kimani educational policy officer from Concern Worldwide in Marsabit, stated that STEM aims to foster science and technology education, through providing materials that are required by both teachers and students. Further boosting the pathway, Concern Worldwide is training STEM teachers and board of management on their roles and basic structure of CBE.
“The project aims to provide schools with on e mobile laboratory and science kit to be used during science practical. We also have platform that is called science fair that is given to students to try and be innovative and turn it into projects, later scheduled for competition at different levels,” Kimani explained.
