Our experience working with learners of all kinds to empower their learning journeys revealed to us the gap in students’ enrollment and participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Girls are most affected with less than 3 out of 10 young women pursuing technology subjects in higher education
Among the many factors that contribute to this reality, is low awareness levels and lack of understanding by teachers on the role that STEM-related subjects play in the general education of students; and further, what this means to the development of our country in the long run.
A survey conducted during a STEM training with STEM Impact Centre Kenya, last year, showed that prior to the training only 37% of the teachers had awareness of different approaches to STEM. With this enlightenment, the Elimu team began to direct more of our energy toward building a professional learning community for teachers and school administrators that makes collaboration inclusive, ongoing, and focused on improving the quality of education in coastal Kenya and beyond.
“The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you”
To achieve this, we are engaging teachers in continuous learning sessions to enhance their understanding on the role of STEM in the education of their learners. Our approach helps prepare children to become innovators and problem solvers. Over the last two weeks, the Elimu team, led by our Program Officer Education, trained over thirty teachers at three schools across Kenya. Key to this training was how to improve girls’ engagement in STEM subjects and improve teachers’ understanding of the new curriculum reforms in Kenya under the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC). The goal is a more meaningful integration of STEM in their daily lesson plans.
This training offers new insights to teachers and refreshes the approach to their teaching culture. One teacher remarked, “I have a total change in attitude after these two days of training. I am carrying lessons on how to build strong teacher-student relationships with my learners so that I can better nurture their talents and skills. My highlight from this training was practically learning how I could use locally available materials to deliver content in a way that engages my learners’ creativity and critical thinking. I have left this training with a completely transformed mindset of competency-based learning.”
Our Program Officer Education, Pauline, had this to say about the training experience: “As a teacher myself, I am filled with joy when I see empowered teachers because this means that their students will receive the highest quality of education. My mission is to work with teachers in various learning institutions, guiding them to embrace the changes in the education sector. This way, we shall all be nurturing a generation of young leaders that are ready to tackle key challenges in our economy and society. These last two weeks proved that there is a great need to engage teachers in continuous learning if we are to achieve improved teaching and learning outcomes that the 21st century demands.”
In the coming months, as we raise the funds needed, we shall extend our trainings to more schools in the coastal region and beyond. As we take on this mantle of educating educators, we continue to thank all those whose support plays such a key role in the successful delivery of these important programs.
