Education CAS decries low uptake of Stem subjects among girls

Education Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mumina Bonaya has decried the low uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Stem) subjects among girls.

Ms Bonaya urged Kenyans to start a conversation on how to bridge the gap to ensure more girls take up the subjects.

“If we don’t do that, we will end up with a skewed presence of men in the Stem field, leaving girls behind,” warned Ms Bonaya.

Speaking in Mombasa during the closing ceremony of the National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation (Nacosti) symposium, the CAS wondered why there were hardly girls taking up Stem subjects.

“When it comes to inclusion, what interventions are we putting in place? Are they effective and impactful? If not, what do we need to do so that we all move together?” she insisted.

Scientific solutions

Ms Bonaya rooted for science, technology and innovation in tackling the disruptions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the same event, University Education Principal Secretary (PS) Simon Nabukwesi rooted for Stem subjects in offering solutions to problems affecting Kenyans.

He urged scholars to find scientific solutions to these issues, then let politicians implement them.

“While heading to the airport, we almost missed the flight due to traffic. But do we think about a scientific solution to this? The transport manager in the city of Toronto in Canada is a Kenyan called Mike Omollo. A huge city like Toronto has a very easy flow of traffic because of a Kenyan brain collaborating all others innovatively,” said the PS.

The university education boss challenged science scholars to collaborate and make Kenyans’ lives easier by offering scientific solutions to their problems.