- CEMASTEA is encouraging teachers and schools to adopt artificial intelligence to improve lesson preparation and classroom delivery.
- The institution says AI can help reduce teachers’ workload and enhance learner outcomes under the Competency-Based Education framework.
- Quality Assurance and Standards Officers have been trained to support AI integration in schools and STEM education
By Joseph Mambili
The Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) is encouraging schools to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for improving lesson planning, classroom delivery and overall learner achievement.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of a three-day training programme for Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs) at CEMASTEA in Karen, Nairobi, the institution’s Deputy Head of Research and Innovation, Clotilda Nyongesa, said teachers have been equipped with skills to integrate AI into teaching and learning under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework.
She noted that CEMASTEA has continued to strengthen teachers’ professional capacity to deliver quality education, adding that AI is increasingly becoming a valuable resource in classrooms, particularly in the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Reducing Teachers’ Workload
“We realised from our previous research that another area with a gap is professional documents. When a teacher doesn’t prepare, they actually do not deliver. When they spend too much time preparing, they eat into the time meant for teaching,” she said.
To address this challenge, CEMASTEA developed a specialised course aimed at helping teachers prepare professional documents more efficiently while reducing the time spent on administrative tasks.
“CEMASTEA tailored a course on how a teacher can prepare professional documents, such as schemes of work and lesson plans, while using less time to prepare lessons and source resources. So we have trained the teachers on effective use of AI,” she said.
Effective Classroom Instruction
Nyongesa explained that teachers are now being encouraged to utilise AI in developing lesson plans, preparing schemes of work and identifying relevant teaching resources.
This, she said, enables them to dedicate more time to learner engagement and classroom instruction.
She added that training Quality Assurance and Standards Officers is equally important because it helps them understand AI-driven teaching methods and learner-centred approaches, enabling them to offer informed guidance and support to teachers in their jurisdictions.
Equipping Quality Assurance Officers
“We wanted to bridge that gap so that when a quality assurance officer finds a teacher using AI, the focus is on whether the prompts produced what is required and whether the lesson plan reflects the CBE tenets and expected learning outcomes,” Nyongesa explained.
According to her, the officers welcomed the initiative and expressed enthusiasm about integrating technology into their supervisory roles.
“The officers are excited about embracing the technology to better support teachers,” she said.
Nyongesa noted that the training also focused on the importance of constructive feedback in improving teaching and learning outcomes.
Participants were encouraged to move beyond the traditional inspection approach and instead work closely with teachers as mentors by offering support before, during and after classroom instruction.
Strengthening STEM Education
The programme also addressed concerns about supporting STEM education in schools where some quality assurance officers do not have science-based academic backgrounds.
Through hands-on activities and exposure to AI-supported instructional tools, participants gained practical skills to effectively guide teachers across different subject areas.
The workshop, held from June 10 to 12, 2026, was themed “Enhancing the Capacity of Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs) to Monitor and Support Teachers of STEM Subjects for Effective Implementation of Competency-Based Education.”
Its objective was to strengthen the officers’ capacity to observe lessons, provide meaningful feedback and support teachers in enhancing the delivery of STEM subjects.
Participants were further trained on strategies for promoting learner-centred teaching, mentoring educators and supporting the effective implementation of the Competency-Based Education curriculum, particularly within junior secondary schools.
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Nyongesa emphasised that responsible adoption of AI can ease teachers’ workload, improve the quality of lesson preparation and create more opportunities for meaningful teaching and learning experiences in classrooms.
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