The Forgotten Subjects

Secondary school education is quickly becoming the definitive level of basic education in most parts of the developing world. Countries in East Africa for example have made primary and secondary school education universal and compulsory to be able to meet their social, economic and political aspirations.
In an informal sharing with some colleagues in a postgraduate course from Tanzania and Uganda, it was apparent that subjects that make up the humanities are shunned by learners, many parents and even teachers. In  Kenya and Uganda, teachers of science subjects climb the promotion ladder faster than their colleagues in humanities. In fact, it is government policy in the said countries to encourage learners to opt for science subject leading to learners having a negative attitude towards the humanities subjects.
Granted, science education is crucial in this science and technology based world but let us not forget the subjects that have traditionally produced for the world some great minds in order to deal with the socio-economic and political realities of their times. Here, we remember Nelson Mandela (RSA), T.J. Mboya (Kenya), Koffi Annan (Ghana) to name a few from the African continent. From the northern hemisphere, they are uncountable but again just a few examples will do - Emile Durkheim, Max Weber , Karl Marx,  Immanuel Kant and Sigmund Freud.  All great minds that have shaped thinking to date.
Whereas each learner should be left to navigate their destinations, proper guidance is quite necessary so that the children come out from the education system, empowered for the world's challenges without limitations of subject specializations. Imagine a world of "hard" science (full of experiments) devoid of human touch. It would be an interesting one to live in! Very impersonal and quite detached in a host of respects.
It is only reasonable that both science and humanities should be given due attention in our schools so that one is not made to believe that it is a mistake to study Art based subjects so much so that those who study them are expected to be apologetic for having chosen and done them.
In Kenya, some of the best paid public servants are judges and politicians. Most of them are graduates in the humanities and have done very well in terms of delivery of service to the Kenyan public and it is believed that this is the case in the other East African countries. Good pay however is not the parameter to use in encouraging learners to choose certain subjects. It is the interest of the child and ultimate goal of attaining the best that should be the guiding principle.
A chart with a Religious Studies teacher in a prestigious public high school in Britain revealed that the situation could probably be worse there as students outrightly look down upon the subject. This begs the question then, why the curriculum insists on  subjects that all governments seem to find unhelpful in the long run.
The realities of the world make  science and arts relevant at all times of human existence so let both
have support from benefactors led by government.

ICT integration in secondary school education

The use of Information and Communications Technology (Technologies) or ICT is fast gaining credence in all spheres of life. It is the use of technology based devices to access, retrieve, pass (transmit) or create information for various purposes. Today, ICT is one of the fastest evolving phenomena which no one and nothing can ignore. In the field of education for instance,the secondary school  curriculum may have subjects categorized as Science, Languages, Technicals and Humanities. In the latter group are History, Religious Education/Studies and Geography all of which are subjects that many curriculum planners do not ordinarily relate with technology. The following reasons make it necessary however to integrate ICT in the teaching and learning of these subjects:

1. School going children today are able to manipulate technology devices easily and therefore can participate better in the learning and teaching process through ICT devices.
2. Most families including school children themselves have access to cell phones some of which are latest in terms of technology.
3. The teaching and learning process  is more interactive today than it was ten or so years ago and ICT makes this interaction easier, more interesting and learner friendly.
4. Humanities subjects are lately being neglected by both teachers and learners in favour of science and technical ones due to the latter's closeness with technology but true knowledge has theoretical underpinnings which find their basis in some of the humanities.
5. ASEI-PDSI for example which is a strategy being used in Mathematics education is applicable in all subjects and with ICT, it would even make more sense in the learning/teaching process. In the strategy above, the learning activities are student centered with experiment/experience/discovery and improvisation and the same activities are planned and done through the students seeing and improvement being the ultimate goal.

 The philosophy behind education in nearly all the countries of the world is the same which is to make our world a better place to live in through nurturing posterity that has certain desirable values, creating a just human society that looks at development/progress in almost the same way and promoting independence through self actualization by those who are prepared by whatever education system. This be the case, then it is doubtless that ICT integration is central to the entire education spectrum irrespective of level of that education.