The Japanese Ambassador to Kenya, Okaniwa Ken, has disclosed that over 200 Kenyan students are pursuing university education in the foreign country.
Speaking during a courtesy call to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu in his Jogoo House office in Nairobi, Ken said Japan will continue to support Kenya in building its human resources needs through the exchange of human resources, academic exchange, joint research, and other joint efforts to gather wisdom for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
Machogu thanked the government of Japan for the immense contribution it has made towards providing education and training to individual Kenyans studying there and to some educational institutions in Kenya.
He said the Japanese government had also given material and technical support to the establishment of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), apart from support for research initiatives at the university.
The CS said that they are seeking to encourage 60% of its learners under the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) to join Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Machogu said Japan had also contributed to building the capacity for teachers for STEM through the Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA).
On his part, Basic Education PS Dr. Belio Kipsang said Kenya would need virtual labs to strengthen the foundation for STEM at the secondary school level.
Thus, he mentioned that the Ministry would like to scale up the provision of science kits beyond the 200 secondary schools.
On the other hand, University Education and Research PS Dr. Beatrice Inyangala said Japan was providing scholarships for Kenyan needs and for other development initiatives.
Additionally, TVET PS Dr. Esther Muoria said the current concern was the need to improve the technical skills for trainers, who will be in a position to provide better training experiences for trainees in training institutions.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
