Dataset reflecting roadmap and sustainability in STEM careers of secondary school graduates of Mbeya city in Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract The essence of this study is to raise awareness to address vicious gap of requirements of the 21st century competencies against the prevailing practices toward STEM careers in secondary schools. One of the purposes of the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA) is to sort out placements of students into correct future careers. This paper testifies results and future implication in STEM careers of secondary school candidates of the NECTA sat for the year 2022 Certificate of Secondary School Education (CSEE) in Mbeya city. The Author collected CSEE results from 58 schools, of which 32 were private schools. The study observed results of 7959 candidates of which about one third were from private schools. Overall performance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects’ results processed to get a reflection on future STEM careers of the graduates. This study concerned following global job projections in this century characterised by a bias of increase in STEM career jobs over non-STEM jobs. Biology, chemistry, physics and basic mathematics are STEM subjects running in secondary school, where biology and mathematics are compulsory. Number of students with at least a minimum pass in biology, physics, and basic mathematics were 5339 (67%), 1564 (20%) and 1766 (22%) respectively. Chi-square testing exposed that gender equity gap in STEM subjects for private schools was no longer an issue. Overall performance in biology, chemistry and physics showed that a least number of students opted in physics in all schools. Although biology and basic mathematics are compulsory but failure in basic mathematics is the worst of all STEM subjects. The study revealed that 1482 (19%) graduates were potential STEM careers out of which 586 were girls. In order to enhance STEM enrolment, physics; need to be compulsory to all prospects of STEM career (science students). This shall lift performance in all STEM subjects. It appears in this study that performance in physics (19%) is a stronger predictor of STEM career than performance in mathematics (22%).