With the right support, Kenyan girls can too excel in STEM subjects

Beyond societal expectations, the way STEM is taught in Kenyan schools does little to encourage girls to thrive. Many STEM subjects are presented in a rigid, abstract manner, emphasising memorisation over real-world applications.

A 2021 World Bank study on education in Kenya found that girls performed significantly better in science and math when lessons were practical and based on problem-solving rather than focused on rote learning.

Take Rwanda, for instance, which introduced coding and robotics programmes in primary schools that ensured girls interacted with technology from a young age. Today, over 40 per cent of students in Rwandan engineering and technology programmes are female. Imagine what could happen if Kenya adopted a similar approach, where science and technology are made accessible, engaging, and relevant to everyday life.

This is why role models come in. In Kenya, less than 30 per cent of STEM professionals are women, meaning girls rarely see female scientists, engineers, or tech innovators they can look up to. When young girls do not see women succeeding in these fields, they struggle to imagine themselves there. Imagine if every high school girl had the opportunity to engage with a female engineer, data scientist, or researcher – someone who could show them that science is not just for boys.

Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum was designed to emphasise skills over rote learning, offering a unique opportunity to bridge the STEM gender gap. Yet, a 2023 Ministry of Education report found that many schools still lack laboratories, computers, and trained teachers to implement STEM programmes effectively.

If we are serious about getting more girls into STEM, the government and stakeholders must take deliberate steps, including equipping all schools with well-resourced science and computer labs, training teachers on gender-sensitive STEM instruction, and establishing mentorship programmes linking female STEM professionals with students.

Neglecting girls in STEM is not just an education issue – it is an economic one. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030, 80 per cent of jobs will require STEM skills. If we do not equip our girls with these skills, Kenya risks a brain drain, where companies will have to import talent in fields like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and engineering.

We have already seen what happens when girls are given opportunities in STEM. Organisations  which train young women in software development and data science, have shown that when girls are empowered, they thrive. But these efforts must be scaled up. We need government and private sector investment in programmes that actively push girls into STEM careers, not just for their benefit, but for the future of the country.