Make science compulsory but motivate teachers

Adonis Byemelwa

What you need to know:

  • The government’s move is commendable as the quality of science education in secondary schools is deteriorating rather quickly.

Secondary school students who dislike science subjects will no longer be able to dodge following the government’s decision to make these subjects compulsory from Form One to Form Four.

The government’s move is commendable as the quality of science education in secondary schools is deteriorating rather quickly.

Twaweza, an education-focused think-tank, in a report revealed that six out of every 10 students who sat the 2012 National Form Four examination failed and miserably so.

Only 126,851 passed the examinations out of 397,132 who sat for them. In 2011, 53.6 per cent passed of the candidates passed, while just over half the candidates (50.4 per cent) passed in 2010.

Minister for Education, Science and Vocational Training Joyce Ndalichako while addressing hundreds of primary school teachers recently during short course training on the new curriculum for Standard Three and Four pupils said fifth phase government intends to advance the nation moves to a middle income economy.

Currently, secondary school students may opt to quit science and continue with art subjects in Form Three. For a country focused on pushing for development, investing in future generations through quality education is essential to ensure a stable labour force.

Subjects like Information Communication Technology (ICT), physics and chemistry should be. Making these subjects compulsory would go a long way in keeping abreast with technology advancement worldwide.

Unfortunately, students are made to believe that science and mathematics are difficult therefore allowing students to drop the sciences is a confirmation to their perception.

This negative attitude results in students putting less effort in the sciences as they want to believe they will never perform well. The challenges for getting more students to embrace science include the shortage of qualified teachers and properly equipped laboratories. Others are the lack of learning and teaching tools which should be urgently addressed.

Serious measures are needed to improve the learning environment so as to motivate students. Matters are made worse by teachers who tell their students that science is only for the clever ones and that they should settle for Kiswahili and Civics instead.

Generally speaking students have a lot of faith in their teachers so when such sweeping remarks are made they are easily discouraged.

I believe educators are expected to develop potential and not kill the academic curiosity of students.

Tanzania’s decision to make science subjects compulsory is not new. The Ugandan government made science compulsory for secondary school students, and it preferentially funds university students undertaking science courses.

Under the policy, biology, chemistry and physics are made compulsory for all secondary school students, and first year university students study at least one science course.

The policy has it that science students receive almost 75 per cent of government scholarships at universities and other tertiary education institutions.

Since obtaining independence, many African countries largely promoted the humanities, producing large numbers of ‘white-collar’ workers, such as lawyers, economists, accountants and administrators. The wakeup call to embrace science is apt, though not at the expense of other disciplines.

Having been a teacher for years, I have witnessed competent science teachers leave the classroom in alarming numbers to accept positions in others sectors. These teachers are frequently replaced by unqualified or ill-trained teachers.

The government should seriously consider remunerating science teachers like other professionals.

It is worth noting is that merely increasing number of science teachers is not enough. There should be concerted efforts to recruit teachers who are highly self-motivated and are able to use a wide range of techniques to deliver knowledge in an interesting manner to students.

Efforts should be coupled with creating friendly learning environments where students feel free to consult their teachers with queries. Teachers’ creativity plays a crucial part in igniting students’ intrinsic motivation. Weak teaching methods and other verbal pattern of teachers may destruct students’ readiness to study science.

I am concerned that the lack of interest in scienceand mathematics has resulted in a shortage of suitably skilled people at the workplace.

Nevertheless, I do not consider that making these subjects compulsory would not necessarily solve the problem. Encouraging an interest in these subjects from an early age by skilled teachers and making science relevant would have more impact in determining a student’s future and career choice.

The writer is a Sub Editor with The Citizen