About CEMASTEA
CEMASTEA was established in 2004 as a public institution under the Ministry of Education. The Centre traces its history to the Strengthening the Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) Project. SMASSE started in 1998 as a pilot project jointly implemented by the Ministry of Education and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Its purpose was to improve classroom practices of mathematics and science teachers while the goal was to upgrade the capabilities of young Kenyans in Mathematics and Science.
SMASSE project was housed at the Kenya Science Teachers College (KSTC) from 1998 to 2003. In 2004, the expansion of the project to national and regional coverage necessitated the conversion of the Centre for Research and Technology (CRT) to CEMASTEA. The Centre was then renovated and equipped to house CEMASTEA operations. In 2005, Sessional Paper No. 1: A Policy Framework for Education, Training, and Research authorized the establishment of CEMASTEA as a fully-fledged institution for in-service education and training (INSET) for mathematics, science, and technology teachers.
Consequently, CEMASTEA programmes were captured in the Kenya Education Sector Support Program (KESSP 2005-2010) as Investment Program No.17. In 2012 and 2013, the Ministry of Education with the support of JICA expanded CEMASTEA facilities by putting up the modern science complex. The complex was officially opened by His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta in February 2014. When technical cooperation with the JICA ended in December 2013, the Government of Kenya continued to fund CEMASTEA programs thus ensuring sustainability of the Centre’s programmes.
Over time, CEMASTEA has developed inimitable capacity in planning, coordinating, and implementing Continuous Teacher Professional Development (CTPD) programs. The Centre continues to expand the scope of its programmes bringing on board Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers, Junior School (JS) teachers, teacher training colleges, principals, deputy principals, and other education stakeholders.
In 2022, CEMASTEA was transformed into a State Corporation under the Ministry of Education (MoE) with the mandate on Training and Research.
