KNEC Supports Decision to Eliminate Mandatory Mathematics in High School.
Education stakeholders have stressed that Mathematics will continue to be mandatory solely at the primary and junior secondary school levels. Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) Chairperson Julius Nyabundi indicated that essential knowledge in arithmetic, acquired during these stages, adequately prepares students for life and higher education.
Nyabundi clarified that the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) was created to enhance numeracy up to Grade 9, removing the necessity for the subject to be compulsory in high school. He suggested that students in senior secondary school should concentrate on fields that align with their strengths, such as humanities or vocational subjects, to improve academic performance and promote better engagement.
The performance in Mathematics among senior secondary students has consistently been disappointing, with data revealing a significant decline from primary school results. According to KNEC Deputy Director for Quality Assurance and Archives, Andrew Otieno, national examination analyses indicate a sharp decrease in Mathematics performance between KCPE and KCSE.
For example, the 2022 KCPE results demonstrated that more than 80 percent of candidates received scores between Grade A and D+ in Mathematics. However, by the time students reached KCSE, only 17. 46 percent remained within that performance range. These statistics position Kenya behind Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia regarding secondary Mathematics outcomes.
Otieno credited this decline not to a challenging curriculum but to an inflexible grading and assessment system. He observed that the current framework disheartens students, especially those not following STEM pathways, and emphasized that Mathematics should only be a core subject for learners whose future courses necessitate it.
Optional Mathematics in Senior School
The Ministry of Education’s decision to make Mathematics optional in senior secondary school has ignited public discussion. Under the updated framework, core compulsory subjects will consist of English, Kiswahili or Kenya Sign Language, Physical Education, and Community Service Learning.
Despite the criticism, forecasts suggest that approximately 60 percent of senior school students will still choose Mathematics, particularly those following the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) track. Nevertheless, Otieno cautioned that making Mathematics compulsory could impede students more inclined toward the arts.
KNEC argued that updating subject requirements might assist in addressing the “dismal pass rate below 30 percent” recorded in KCSE Mathematics. Otieno also remarked that similar practices are evident in other regional examination systems.
The inclusion of Community Service Learning and Physical Education as mandatory subjects has been defended by curriculum developers. Eunice Gachoka from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development underscored research supporting Physical Education’s significance in psychomotor coordination, cognitive development, and overall student well-being.
She added that Community Service Learning is vital in fostering responsible, patriotic citizens, especially at a time when national values seem to be diminishing. Speakers at the KNEC symposium reaffirmed the importance of character-building elements in education to counteract the declining social values in the nation.
KNEC Supports Decision to Eliminate Mandatory Mathematics in High School.