Mathematics to be optional at Senior Secondary School- Knec States
Leaders within the education sector have affirmed that Mathematics will only be obligatory in primary and junior secondary education.
The chairman of the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec), Julius Nyabundi, indicated yesterday that Mathematics at the primary and junior levels is sufficient for fostering understanding in the subject. It has also been revealed that student performance in Mathematics at the secondary school level has consistently been poor when compared to the results of end-of-primary school assessments.
Andrew Otieno, Knec’s deputy director of Quality Assurance and Archives, noted that an analysis of KCPE and KCSE examination results indicates that students demonstrate commendable performance in Mathematics upon completing primary school; however, a significant decline is observed when they undertake their Form Four examination.
An examination of the 2022 results, for instance, demonstrates that over 80 percent of candidates achieved grades between A and D+ at the Class Eight level, whereas this figure diminished to 17. 46 percent in KCSE.
This unsatisfactory performance placed students’ final examination results in secondary school in Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia ahead of those of Kenyan candidates. Nevertheless, Otieno commented that this discrepancy does not stem from a challenging curriculum but rather from a stringent grading and assessment framework.
“This underscores the necessity to reevaluate core subjects in senior school, thereby ensuring that Mathematics is undertaken solely by students whose chosen courses necessitate it,” he remarked.
He made these statements yesterday during the inauguration of the second Knec Annual Symposium on Competency Based Assessment in Nairobi.
During an interview conducted on the periphery of the symposium, Nyabundi asserted that students will have acquired the requisite arithmetic literacy by the conclusion of junior secondary school, thus negating the rationale for mandating it in senior secondary education.
“The Competency-Based Curriculum is formulated to enhance foundational skills by the conclusion of junior secondary school (Grade 9),” he stated.
Nyabundi expressed that emphasis could transition toward subjects that align with students’ strengths, such as humanities or vocational skills, to enhance overall academic and learning outcomes.
This development follows a public outcry after the Ministry of Education announced that Mathematics would be an optional subject at advanced levels. Instead, English, Kiswahili or Kenya Sign Language, Community Service Learning, and Physical Education would be compulsory subjects.
However, it is concurrently anticipated that up to 60 percent of students in senior secondary school will opt to take Mathematics, as they will pursue the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pathway.
Otieno contended that the decision to mandate Mathematics is detrimental to students who are inclined toward the arts pathway.
Knec stated that this alteration could potentially rectify the “dismal pass rate below 30 percent” in KCSE Mathematics.
He also remarked that numerous national examination boards in the region adhere to a similar approach.
Simultaneously, the inclusion of Community Service Learning and Physical Education as mandatory subjects has been supported.
Eunice Gachoka from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development indicated that research has demonstrated that Physical Education contributes to the development of a well-rounded student.
“Regardless of whether the focus is on psychomotor skills, coordination, or cognitive development, Physical Education has been demonstrated to contribute to the comprehensive development of a student, which is why it is regarded as a mandatory subject,” she stated.
Community Service Learning, she indicated, would foster the emergence of a patriotic and responsible citizenry. This statement follows various speakers addressing the deterioration of social values and patriotism among Kenyans.