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

Research shows that girls across Africa are conditioned from an early age to believe that STEM subjects are difficult and better suited for boys. [iStockphoto]

When the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results were released last month, one trend stood out: Girls continued to lag behind boys in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Studies, and Power Mechanics recorded significantly higher performance among male candidates, while girls excelled in languages and humanities.

But this is not just about exam scores. It is a symptom of a deeper, systemic problem. Across Kenya, and indeed much of the world, girls are being left behind in science and technology. We must move beyond lamenting poor results and ask ourselves: Why are we failing our girls in STEM, and how do we fix it?