Don't force Kenyan children into career boxes

The transition to senior school is exposing a dangerous contradiction at the heart of education reforms. The new system is supposed to nurture talents and give freedom of choice to learners, but it continues to rank some talents above others.

The growing tension between STEM and the arts is not a debate about subjects. It is a battle over the kind of society Kenya wants to build for the future. When learners are told that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are the only respectable route to success, we are not guiding them. We are narrowing their dreams.

That kind of message is damaging for teenagers making choices that could shape their futures. A learner who loves music, drama, dance, poetry or sport should not be made to feel intellectually inferior.

Nor should a student passionate about engineering be dismissed as lacking creativity. Kenya needs both. The scene at Kanga High School, where a performance brought science and the arts into dialogue, should be a warning to education policymakers.

Learners asking why STEM students should be discouraged from participating in festivals are raising a question why must academic excellence and artistic expression be treated as enemies?

The argument that extracurricular activities distract learners from serious academic work is outdated and dangerous. Music, drama, debate and sport build confidence, discipline, communication, creativity, resilience and teamwork. These are not decorative skills.

They are precisely the human abilities demanded by modern workplaces, including scientific and technical fields.