Kenyan Universities have raised the red flag over massive failures by students in mathematics and science sections of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
More than 90 percent of candidates, who sat for mathematics and science subjects in the KCSE examinations failed.
Less than 10 percent qualified for degree courses related to the sciences, a new report by vice-chancellors (VCs) shows.
The report, dubbed Status of University Education in Kenya, was presented on Tuesday during a conference on the higher education sector.
“If no one is getting into agriculture courses, how the country will realise food security now and in the future?” posed Prof Daniel Mugendi Njiru of the University of Embu.
According to Prof Njiru, some programmes have not attracted students due to poor subject performance and students shunning them.
“Vice-chancellors propose that agriculture be made a compulsory subject in secondary school so that those joining universities are able to pursue courses related to agriculture and natural resources among others,” he said.
This has now a raised concern over the country hopes to realise the agenda of manufacturing or universal health with such a high failure rate in the sciences.
The VCs are proposing affirmative action where some courses are made compulsory, lowering of the pass mark from C+ to C, and rethinking the national exam marking scheme.
Those at the conference included Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, education experts from the World Bank and VCs of both public and private universities.
Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the millennium sustainable development goals, which were crafted on the science and mathematics courses, are unlikely to be realised.
