Govt urged to invest in STEM

. . . as students shun science subjects

THE growing number of science and technology institutions in the country is a clear testimony of Government’s commitment to raise a technologically-conscious generation which moves along with global trends.

However, results released by Zimsec over the past years have somehow put a damper on Government aspirations as students continue to shy away from science subjects.

Last week, Zimsec published the November 2016 Advanced Level results in which a 93,7 pass rate was recorded. This was from the total number of 41 549 students who sat for A-Level exams last year.

Unfortunately, a closer inspection of subjects like Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Computing, Geography and Mechanics - which are crucial to the sciences - tells a different story.

For instance, only 814 students sat for the Computing examination last year, with a 96 percent pass rate recorded, compared to 98 percent the previous year.

In addition, only 259 students countrywide sat for Further Mathematics last November, also recording a 96 percent rate, while Geography and Mechanics had 270 students who sat for the exam with 255 attaining a grade E or better.

Furthermore, 2 917 students sat for the Physics exam, with a 78 percent pass rate recorded compared to 83 percent recorded in 2015.

Mathematics also registered a decrease in the number of students who sat for the exam last year compared to 2015. A total of 9 593 sat for the examination in 2017, compared to 9 681 the previous year.

This compared to subjects like Divinity (12 310), History (14 146) and Geography (12 155) which saw a general slant to the Arts by the class of 2016

Though humanities and languages are important for communication and cultural purposes, there is need for a balance between pure sciences and arts subjects as the disparities remain high.

Educationist Mr Maxwell Rafemoyo said the trend is disappointing and urged Government to invest in science and technology subjects.

“It is quite a sad situation because science and technology are the cornerstone of any nation,” he said.

“They are a guide to our economy and our culture and crucial in solving the problems in any society nowadays.

“However, it is not fair to place the blame solely on students because the economic challenges that the country has faced over the years has riddled the education sector.

“An exodus of experienced Maths and Science teachers has resulted in our schools being manned by inexperienced unqualified teachers and this has immensely contributed to poor performance and low uptake of the subjects.

“Second, science subjects are very demanding in terms of resources and materials yet our schools do not have these facilities and this is costing the nation.”

However, hope is not all lost, especially with the new curriculum that was introduced this year.

According to a report recently published by the Government titled ‘ The Zimbabwe Education Blueprint 2015- 2022 - Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education’, emphasis is on the adoption of science subjects from primary level.

“The emphasis at junior school is on the development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines,” reads part of the report.

“Practical subjects for example Design and Technology, ICT, Art, Theatre Arts, etc, are included and they further broaden the educational base at primary level.”

In South Korea and China, mathematics, pure science, technology and gymnastics form part of the core subjects at primary education level.

The countries have been lauded for having education sectors that have helped transform their economies over the past years.

Government has also introduced a raft of other measures such as the intensification of the STEM programme at Ordinary and Advanced Level.

The programme is meant to promote the uptake of science technology, engineering and mathematics in high school and is being promoted through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development.

Last year, the number of students benefiting from 2016 A Level STEM was 5 132 drawn from 265 schools from across the country.

Experts say that the fastest growing and highest earning careers in the future will be in STEM fields.

University of Zimbabwe lecture, Dr Peter Kwaira, said the programme is very noble and is a step in the right direction.

“Sustainable socio-economic transformation can be driven by investing in STEM disciplines,” he said.

“lnvesting in these disciplines will definitely improve the uptake of science subjects in the coming years.”