3,000 students set for Asumbi National Chemistry contest

 

Asumbi girls chemistry students do some chemistry practicals a head of a contest at their school on 5/06/2017. Asumbi will host this year's chemistry contest with over 200 schools expected to participate.[photos: Sammy Omingo/Standard]

The implementation of a strategy unveiled three years ago to help improve the performance of chemistry in secondary schools starts this weekend.

More than 3,000 students are expected to converge at Asumbi Girls Secondary School for the contest.

The competition aims to give female students confidence and change their attitude towards chemistry.

The Asumbi Girls' director of studies, Vincent Odhiambo, said the contest stimulates learners' minds.

"Schools that have participated in the chemistry contest have always performed better in national examinations," he said.

National examiners

He explained that the contest has attracted national examiners and that their presence would encouraged students to perform better in the subject.

"We emphasise practical and theory to develop linkages and increase the number of participating schools," he said.

Mr Odhiambo added that there were a number of challenges, including the high cost of producing papers.

"The number of sponsors is low. Some sponsors want the impact to be felt immediately. This is a major challenge for us," he explained.

Best performing

Asumbi Girls is among the best performing schools in chemistry nationally, having attained a mean score 9.1, 11.3, and 11.2 in the 2013, 2014, and 2015 respectively in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination.

In this year's contest, former students who performed well in previous competitions will be allowed to give a motivational talk.

Swine Ebernezer and Brenda Momanyi, both former students of Asumbi Girls who are studying medicine at the university, will each make a presentation.

The principal, Sister Anne Apiyo, said the school has tracked all its best students in previous contests.

"We plan to forge a partnership with them. We want to have something to be proud of," she said.

Sister Apiyo said the contest could help reverse the trend where only a few female students perform well in science subjects. She added that the competition would also encourage more girls to study chemistry and science subjects.

The best performing students and schools at the contest will receive learning materials, trophies, and certificates.