Sciences ‘tough nut to crack’ for teachers
Primary school science teachers are ill-equipped to handle the subjects, a report on performance in the disciplines has revealed.
Education PS George Godia said an audit, conducted after perennial poor performance in mathematics and science subjects, has revealed that most teachers of these subjects in elementary classes are incompetent.
“The audit has revealed that those teaching sciences at the elementary level got as low as a D in the subjects,” he said.
The Education ministry is working on changes that will ensure only those qualified to teach science subjects are allowed to nurture students in the disciplines.
Currently, primary school teachers of P1 category, are recruited to teach the subjects of their choice if they meet the aggregate qualification in teacher training colleges. Even though some of them fail in the sciences, they are allowed to teach these subjects.
Prof Godia said that to improve performance in these subjects, teachers would have to be assessed and allowed to teach only subjects that they can competitively handle.
Pupils would also be gauged on the mastery of subjects and allowed to pursue careers that fall in their preferred cluster of sciences.
Also set to face fresh audit of their competence include district quality assurance officers, most of whom, the PS noted, were competent in humanities, yet they were employed to ensure quality learning in the sciences.
“It is akin to a literary critic being asked to check whether sciences are being taught properly,” said the PS, citing the loophole as one of the reasons behind poor performance in the sciences.
Prof Godia was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for a Sh481 million project to put up an administration block at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (Cemastea) in Karen, Nairobi.
Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo stressed the need to improve teaching in sciences, saying, they were key to the achievement of Vision 2030.
“The sciences are important in life and that is why we are serious about better performance in them,” he said.
