The government’s commitment to spur economic growth is evident in the quest to invest heavily in improving infrastructure and connectivity. The most notable projects are the Standard Gauge Railway and the subsidisation of electrificity connection.
Coupled with improved healthcare, a modernised agriculture and a strong and purposeful education system, turning around our economic fortunes will be easy. In a more ambitious perspective, these efforts will help fasten the process of helping those living in abject poverty to at least lay a foothold on the first rung on the ladder of the economic development.
Listening to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto, one can easily tell the two have an idea of what needs to be done in order to oil the wheels of our economy. However, a look at the results in Science and Mathematics at K.C.S.E, especially those posted in Mathematics by the 477, 256 candidates who sat their exams in 2014 reveals an almost deplorable education system.
According to the statistics, 152, 602 (32%) candidates scored grade E, 100, 497 (21.1%) scored grade D- while a measly 20, 568 (4.3%) and 9,343 (2%) scored grades A and A- respectively. The first question I asked is, Was this exam set to fail as many students as possible? Definitely, the answer is a big No.
With such results in Mathematics, the economic prospects of this country remains bleak and any possibility of the economy hitting double-digit growth is a pipedream. Singapore, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, has consistently topped the log as far as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) results of the high school students are concerned. Scientific knowledge and engineering skills are a primary support for business innovation.
This is true because the Global Innovation Index of 2011 ranked Singapore first in terms of the innovation inputs, leading powerhouses like US and Canada.
To grow our economy, we need Science and Mathematics. We should, therefore, stop the hype we are giving medicine, law and engineering. In Singapore, the best students are teachers; no wonder their economy flourishes. Our best should be teachers, too.
We need to step up our investment in training our science and mathematics teachers. From my experience and from reliably documented research , I can authoritatively confirm the worst fears of our parents: the person teaching your child does not know math or rather is less motivated about the subject!
Lastly, we need to re-examine our curricula to ensure it is in line with the educational demands of the highly competitive 21st century. The bottom line is: We cannot educate tomorrow’s workers for specific occupations today, because we cannot be sure these jobs will be there tomorrow. But we can educate workers to be more innovative and creative.
Onoka, a Masters student at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, is an anti-poverty crusader and currently finalising his thesis work in Pure Mathematics.
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