Over 1,500 students from five Junior Secondary Schools in Kajiado County have benefitted from a mentorship and outreach programme for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, courtesy of the Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA).
The five-day outreach programme that kicked off at Enkasiti Junior Secondary School in Isinya Sub-county Monday, is among programmes run by the CEMASTEA to inspire and equip learners with practical skills and knowledge needed to excel in STEM subjects.
Other schools that benefitted from the outreach include Kajiado Township, Ilbissil Boarding, Naromoru and Arap Moi Comprehensive Primary Schools.
The outreach covers STEM subjects that include mathematics, Integrated sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry) and pre- technical studies in Junior Schools.
The programme that commenced 3 years ago has so far been implemented in ten counties, including Nairobi, Nakuru, Machakos, Nyeri, Kilifi, Garissa, Baringo, Kisumu, Kakamega, and Uasin Gishu.
STEM Outreach and Mentorship Programme Coordinator, Beatrice Macharia, emphasised the need to strengthen STEM education in Kenya, as 60 per cent of learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) are expected to pursue the STEM pathway in Senior School.
The CBC has three pathways, including Arts and Sports Science, Social Sciences and STEM.
Speaking at Kajiado Township Junior Secondary School, Macharia revealed that the outreach focuses on hands-on learning experiences, emphasising student engagement in practical activities, which allows teachers to observe students’ interests, abilities and personalities, thus guiding them in their transition into STEM pathways at the senior school level.
“We are emphasising more on practical rather than theoretical learning to ensure enhanced understanding of concepts in STEM. Through practicals, the teachers can be able to mentor students by observing their abilities and interests and guide them appropriately,” she said.
During the five-day outreach programme, CEMASTEA trainers who were equipped with computers, laboratory apparatus, and innovative materials engaged the learners and teachers in practical activities and experiments to demonstrate and simplify concepts in STEM, making it easier for learners to learn.
Macharia noted that the use of locally available materials in learning concepts in STEM was highly encouraged and urged teachers to become creative by improvising resources to help simplify abstract concepts.
“In schools where learning resources are not available, we encourage teachers to make them using available materials so that they can make teaching practical rather than theoretical. Exposing students to practical experiments and real-world applications makes STEM more relatable and easy to understand,” she said.
Macharia emphasised that integrating models and practical learning demystifies stereotypes that sciences are exclusive to certain groups and helps break gender barriers, encouraging both boys and girls to embrace STEM education.
On his part, Kajiado County Director of Education Dr. Martin Cheruiyot emphasised the need to train teachers in STEM subjects, as it was crucial in the implementation of the CBC.
He lauded the outreach’s efforts in strengthening STEM, adding that it would enhance teaching methods, making learning more practical and promoting understanding of various concepts among learners.
The CDE reiterated that outreach emphasises hands-on learning through practicals thus fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among students, helping them relate the concepts they learn in class to real-life experiences.
“Incorporating practical classes in learning and the use of visual aids helps learners in remembering concepts and enhancing their memory and, as a result, helps them develop critical and problem-solving skills which are essential in life,” he said.
Cheruiyot further noted that the transition to Junior Secondary Schools at the county was progressing well, with over 500 classes already built in various schools to accommodate learners.
Students who benefitted from the outreach and mentorship programme expressed their gratitude to CEMASTEA for considering their schools, adding that the opportunity gave them a chance to see and practically use various equipment they had only learnt about in theory.
Nancy Wangare, a Grade 9 student at Kajiado Township Comprehensive School, said she had seen and used a microscope for the first time, and the experience had enabled her to better understand what they had been taught in class.
“We have seen with our eyes lab equipment that we normally see and read about only in books. I have learnt how to observe the cell of an onion using a microscope,” said Wangare.
Enock Mutei, a student from the same school, said he was interested in pursuing the STEM pathway, as the experience had piqued his curiosity in ICT after undergoing practical lessons on computer technology.
“This has been a great experience, as I want to pursue the STEM pathway in senior school. We learnt about software and hardware properties of a computer. We even got a chance to dismantle and put together all the parts of the computer, and I found it fun and interesting,” said Mutei.
Abigael Pius, a student at Ilbissil Boarding Comprehensive Primary School, also expressed her interest in the STEM pathway, adding that she would like to become a pilot in the future.
She urged girls not to shy away from STEM, adding that the use of practicals in learning simplifies various concepts learnt in class, thus making it easy to understand.
“I want to urge girls to embrace STEM; most girls usually consider sciences to be hard and leave it for boys, but I want to tell them that what a boy can do, a girl can do better,” she said.
According to Kendi Michubi, a Math and Pre-technical studies teacher at the school, the outreach programme had enabled teachers to connect their learners from the theory taught in class to practical work.
She noted that the experiments and practicals enable the students to develop more interest in the subjects because they can see and relate to what they have been taught in class.
Michubi hailed the programme as an interactive and fun learning approach to learning, as it captivates the interest of learners, allowing them to explore their abilities, thus developing their interests and personalities.
“The outreach has been very beneficial to the students and even to the teachers. We have learnt how we can use locally available materials to make models and resources which we can use to teach science subjects to our learners,” she said.
By Rop Janet
