Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has dropped a bombshell: Mathematics is making a comeback — and this time, there’s no escaping it.
During a high-stakes national summit on the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) held this past Thursday, CS Ogamba overturned a previous ministry directive and declared that all senior secondary school students — regardless of their chosen career path — will now be forced to tackle mathematics once again.
“We’ve listened to the loud outcry. Kenyans are worried. Experts are worried. The future is at stake,” Ogamba proclaimed with urgency. “We can’t afford a generation without math. It ends now.”
Under this dramatic policy shift:
- Students in the STEM stream will stick with pure mathematics.
- Those pursuing Arts & Sports or Social Sciences will now face a tailored, but compulsory version of math — a stark contrast to their previous math-free freedom.
📉 Why the U-turn? Ogamba cited mounting pressure from stakeholders, educators, and the public, who argued that ditching math was a ticking time bomb that could cripple Kenya’s workforce and economy.
For years, the CBC system allowed students in non-STEM pathways to bypass math. But not anymore.
“This was a dangerous gap,” said Ogamba. “We’re closing it. Immediately.”
The CS made it clear: the era of flexible learning without foundational math is over. He called on all Kenyans to rally behind the new mandate, insisting that mathematics is not just a subject — it’s a national imperative.
Meanwhile, CS Ogamba and Principal Secretary Julius Bitok are doubling down on CBC transition efforts, facing mounting pressure to fix teacher shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and widespread skepticism.
This decision marks one of the boldest moves in Kenya’s educational history — one that could redefine the academic future of an entire generation.
