Background: Since the inauguration of CEMASTEA in 2003 as the Government of Kenya premier institution mandated to provide In-Service Education and Training (INSET) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education, there have always been partners willing to engage in collaborative activities.  The Partnerships and Linkages Department at CEMASTEA was established in October 2014 to coordinate partnership arrangements of the centre. There has been an increasing number of both local and international partners interested in working with CEMASTEA especially in the field of STEM. The Department aspires to excel in creating and sustaining collaborations that help realize centre’s vision and mission on quality  STEM education. The establishement of the department in 2014, has overseen the growth in number of partner activities both in scope and structure.  The centre continues to build synergetic partnerships globally that support Teacher Professional Development in STEM education programs across Africa.

The department identifies, initiates, manages and receives requests for partnerships on behalf of CEMASTEA which are processed for implementation to improve the quality of Mathematics and Science Education in Kenya and Africa. In addition the department plans and budgets; draw contracts; agreements; coordinate partnerships advocacy / marketing activities; monitor and evaluate implementation and oversees preparation of periodic reports.

Vision: Excellence in building collaborative partnerships

Mission: To create, use, and sustain the Centre’s collaborative partnerships and linkages that support continuous professional development of teachers in STEM education

Core Functions: The department’s responsibility is managing the Centre’s partnerships and linkages function as follows:

• Strengthening collaborations, advocacy and networking
• Initiating and strengthening partnerships with relevant organizations
• Enhancing staff capacities through partner-funded programs
• Improving the centre’s role as a continental secretariat
• Leveraging on continental secretariats to increase partnership networks

Collaborative Partnerships, Linkages and Forums

LINKAGES

• African Union Commission (AUC) CESA’s Cluster on STEM Education and Teacher Development Linkage

The African Union Commission in partnership with the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) hosted the launch of the first AUC-CESA (2016-25) cluster on STEM education in September, 2016. The workshop brought together key partner agencies working on STEM education in Africa, and senior government officials, to develop an implementation strategy across all levels of education in Africa. The centre co-coordinates the CESA cluster on STEM in collaboration with the Africa Academy of Science (AAS) and the African Institutite for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). The centre is also a member of the AUC Teacher Development Cluster which is coordinated by UNESCO-IICBA.

• The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)’s Linkage

ADEA as the voice of education in Africa works through theme-based Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs). This is a continental platform for policy dialogue on education. The minister of education, Kenya is the leader of two ICQNS namely; Inter-Country Quality Node on Mathematics and Science Education (ICQN – MSE) and Peace Education (ICQN-PE). The two secretariats are hosted and coordinated from CEMASTEA on behalf of the ministry of education.

• Strengthening of Mathematics and Science Education in Africa (SMASE-Africa)

The Strengthening of Mathematics and Science Education in Africa (SMASE-Africa) is a network of twenty seven (27) African countries started in the year 2001 as an initiative for addressing challenges facing mathematics and science education in Africa. The Secretariat and headquarters are located in Nairobi Kenya at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA). SMASE-Africa organizes and coordinates the annual Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (COMSTEDA) since 2001. This is a continental platform for practitioners to share innovative ideas, best practice, and interrogate issues relating to STEM education in Africa.

PARTNERSHIPS

• Education Development Trust

CEMASTEA in partnership with Education Development Trust implements teacher capacity development programs for upper primary grade and secondary school teachers of mathematics and science from ASAL and low income regions in Kenya on Gender-Responsive Pedagogy; Activity-based learning and improvisation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education. Over one thousand teachers have been trained under this partnership.

• International Taskforce on Teachers for Education 2030

CEMASTEA is a member of the International Policy Dialogue fora since 2014. The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, also known as the Teacher Task Force (TTF), is a unique partnership created in 2008 to advocate for teachers and the teaching profession around the world. It is dedicated to raising awareness, expanding knowledge and supporting countries towards achieving target 4 of SDG 4.

• MASHAV-Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation

CEMASTEA staff continue to benefit from MASHAV’s advanced professional training programs in a wide variety of fields. The programs offered include; STEM education, continuous teacher professional development, education for sustainable development, innovation in education and ICT integration in education. The courses are conducted by the A-Ofri International training centre for at least three weeks in Jerusalem Israel and the centre dispatches staff to participate in annual training programs.

• Mwalimu-Plus Kenya

CEMASTEA in partnership with Mwalimuplus have been implementing practical solutions of strengthening primary mathematics education through teacher professional development in utilizing the Ignite the learning technological teaching and learning tools. Mwalimuplus is an intelligent e-Tutoring solution for students, parents and teachers and is designed for the Kenyan curriculum to improve the teaching and learning process by supporting students to solve mathematics questions with little or no help.

• Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authority (AFTRA)

CEMASTEA is an associate member of AFTRA since 2016 & participates in the annual regional conference and round table meetings held in African countries. AFTRA is an inter-governmental organisation comprising of national agencies that regulate teaching in the 54 African countries. The forum was inaugurated in 2010 in Abuja-Nigeria by Ministers of Education, Nigeria and South Africa.

• World Bank

CEMASTEA in partnership with the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) are implementing the School-Based Teacher Support System (SBTSS) sub-component of improving the quality of teaching. The project is an initiative of the Government of Kenya in collaboration with World Bank  to  implement the “Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project” (SEQIP) to improve student learning and transition from upper primary to secondary education in targeted areas. The project beneficiaries are about 600,000 pupils in upper primary and 600,000 students in secondary from 17,500 and 8,500 primary and secondary schools respectively in arid and semi- arid land (ASAL), urban slums and regions with pockets of poverty.

• Junior Achievement Kenya

CEMASTEA in collaboration with the Junior Achievement Kenya recognized the need to train & impact teachers with 21^st century skills on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness. The teachers are expected to cascade the training to students who can use the skills once they graduate from high school. Junior achievement Kenya agreed to set up a STEM laboratory at CEMASTEA where ideas will be incubated and implemented.

• CASIO

CASIO- Kenya in collaboration with the centre have been conducting capacity building sessions for teachers on calculator use in teaching secondary mathematics. The program saw various teachers trained and some equipped with modern calculators. The partnership saw the establishment of the CASIO-corner at the centre to support training programs.

• Out of School Youth in Science, Technology and Innovation (OSYSTEI)

The OSYSTEI program is a pilot program by the Ministry of Education through CEMASTEA and the Office of the President that was launched in February, 2019. The program seeks to catalyse pro-youth actions to address the dreams and ambitions of the out of school youth in the country through creation of a culture of curiosity, creativity, innovation and productive entrpreneurship. The OSYSTEI secretariat is located in CEMASTEA.

• Other Partners

The following are other partners that the centre continues to work with:

• Global Peace Foundation, Kenya (GPF-K)
• Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
• Forum for African Women Educationalist (FAWE)

Contacts

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