A critical shortage of teachers specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is casting a long shadow over the future of specialized learning in Kenyan junior and senior schools.
A recent report, jointly released by Zizi Afrique Foundation and Usawa Agenda, paints a stark picture of the challenges plaguing the Competency-Based Education (CBE) rollout, particularly at the junior secondary level. The findings reveal that many schools are without a single dedicated STEM teacher, forcing improvisation and untrained educators to cover crucial subjects.
The report underscores that this severe deficit jeopardizes the government’s ambitious plans to transition 60 percent of learners exiting junior school into STEM pathways.
Data from public junior secondary schools highlight a deepening crisis, with only 21 percent of teachers possessing STEM training. This leaves thousands of students without essential learning opportunities in these vital fields.
Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa, the Executive Director of Usawa Agenda, emphasized the gravity of the situation.
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“Teachers are expected to teach multiple classes and learning areas, including subjects they were not trained in. Only 21 per cent of teachers in public junior schools were in STEM learning areas, with 35 per cent of the schools lacking even a single STEM teacher.” Dr. Manyasa stated
The disparity is particularly alarming in rural and marginalized regions, where a staggering 35 percent of public junior secondary schools have no STEM teacher whatsoever. This challenge is further compounded by significant infrastructure gaps. Less than half of all public junior school learners have access to laboratory facilities, a critical component for effective science education within the CBE framework. With Grade Nine learners poised to transition to senior schools in a matter of months, the report alarmingly indicates that 1,600 schools currently lack laboratories.
The inadequate infrastructure extends to digital literacy, a compulsory element of the new curriculum.
“At the national level, we only have 33.9 per cent of schools currently offering computer studies. That means these are the only schools ready to offer the new curriculum, where computer studies is now a compulsory subject. Of these 33.9 per cent, 92.9 per cent are actually Cluster 1 (former national schools), and only 17 per cent are Cluster 4 (former sub-county schools).” Dr. Manyasa further elaborated.
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This highlights a significant inequity in access to modern learning resources, with national schools boasting over 80 percent ownership of science labs, while sub-county schools, predominantly found in rural areas, report critically low rates of 6.5 percent for physics laboratories and a mere 3.7 percent for computer laboratories.
“Only 48 per cent of learners in public junior schools had access to laboratory facilities. Nationally, 33.9 per cent of secondary schools in Kenya offer computer lessons. Ninety-two per cent of national schools offer computer lessons, compared to only 17.3 per cent of sub-county schools.” The report states
This unfolding crisis arrives at a pivotal juncture as the inaugural CBC cohort enters Grade Nine. The ambitious curriculum, designed to foster practical skills and critical thinking, is demonstrably strained under the weight of severe teacher shortages and inadequate resource allocation.
By Cornelius Korir
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