Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced that mathematics will once again be a compulsory subject for all senior secondary school students in Kenya.

This decision comes as part of efforts to refine the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), following feedback from various stakeholders.

During the National Conversation on the CBC on Thursday, Ogamba explained that after consulting with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and considering widespread concerns, the ministry decided to ensure that mathematics is included in all academic pathways.

"The majority of the stakeholders during the CBC dialogue were of the view that mathematics should be compulsory in senior school," Ogamba stated.

"We have listened to your concerns, consulted with the KICD, and reached a resolution that some form of mathematics be made compulsory for the other two pathways that are not STEM."

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The CS clarified that while students in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) pathway will continue with pure mathematics, those in the Arts and Sports Science and Social Sciences pathways will study a simplified version.

"We will have the STEM pathways having pure maths and the other two pathways having a form of maths so that we have maths in all three pathways in senior school," Ogamba explained.

This policy shift reverses a previous directive that allowed students in the non-STEM tracks to opt out of mathematics, a move that had sparked debates across the country.

Critics argued that the earlier decision could negatively impact Kenya's workforce and economic future by diminishing students’ mathematical literacy.

Ogamba assured the public that the ministry values stakeholder input.

"It is an important aspect that we have listened to the views of the Kenyans, and it is an important input that has come from the stakeholders to show that stakeholder conversation is important," he said.

The Education Cabinet Secretary also urged continued support for the changes, as the Ministry of Education, alongside Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, works to improve the CBC system.

Bitok further confirmed that mathematics will remain compulsory at both the junior and senior school levels, noting that the proposal to make it optional had been discarded following consultations with stakeholders.

The move to reinstate mathematics across all pathways marks a significant shift in Kenya's education policy, with the aim of ensuring a more rounded and future-proof curriculum for all learners.