Ogamba reverses plan to drop Maths as a compulsory subject
CS says ministry has resolved that some form of mathematics be made compulsory for the two pathways that are not STEM
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced a reversal of the earlier plan by the government to drop Mathematics as a compulsory subject in junior and senior schools.
Ogamba said the decision has been made following a consultation with stakeholders, where the previous decision was dropped, to drop the subject in senior school for students pursuing career pathways away from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
“We have listened to your concerns, consulted with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), and resolved that some form of mathematics be made compulsory for the two pathways that are not STEM,” Ogamba said.
“The majority of stakeholders during competency-based county dialogues were of the view that mathematics as a subject should be compulsory in senior school,” he added.
He stated that students pursuing Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science, will learn a simplified version of Mathematics.
According to the Education CS, students in the STEM pathway will take pure mathematics, and the other two pathways will have a simplified formal math.
The dropping of the initial proposal where the subject was to be optional for learners under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), marking a drastic shift from the phased-out 8-4-4 system was faced with a lot of critic.
The Proposal suggested that students would have taken four compulsory subjects, namely English or Kenya Sign Language, Kiswahili, Physical Education, and Community Service Learning and learners would then have chosen three other subjects from a pool of 38 options.
Amongst those who raised serious concerns about Maths not being compulsory was the Institution of Engineers Kenya (IEK), which said the model would have long-term effects, adding that the subject is essential in the technical and professional growth of the country.
“Mathematics, in particular, is the language of engineering and technology, underpinning design, optimization, problem-solving, and data analysis in fields ranging from civil and electrical engineering to artificial intelligence and renewable energy,” they said in a statement last month.
