Senior Secondary Science is a two-year programme designed for learners who have completed Junior Secondary education. It is designed to provide learners with scientific knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for understanding and responsible participation in the society. It also prepares the learners for tertiary education, vocational training and provides them with foundation skills for employment.

Subjects for the Senior Secondary programme are categorised into groups: coreand optional. All the Science subjects fall into one optional group: Sciences. There are four forms of Science offered in the group and learners are expected to choose one.

These are:

• Science : Single Award
• Science : Double Award
• Pure Sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry);
• General Science (only offered to private candidates)

The Science :  Double Award syllabus consists of two thirds of the Pure Science syllabi ; Physics , Biology and Chemistry  giving it an equivalence of two subjects.

Rationale

The Science Programme for the two years of senior secondary education is expected to facilitate the holistic development of the learner in a global context. The programme intends to instil a sense of appreciation for science and to make sure that the learners can cope in a technologically changing world. The programme will help learners to explore and apply the scientific knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired to address environmental, social, economic and political issues in their day-to-day lives. Through this programme learners will get an opportunity to explore and understand the natural world (life processes, physical phenomena and nature of substances).

Science is an experimental discipline and its method of inquiry allows learners to appreciate the practical impact of Science on their lives and society as a whole. The Science programme will equip learners with skills that will be of long term value and encourage them to participate in lifelong learning. In the process the learners will exercise their creativity and develop skills such as critical thinking, innovativeness, communication, analysis, observation, recording, drawing conclusions, making judgements.

The syllabuses will also expose learners to the practical applications of Science. This will contribute towards popularising Science and developing an interest in, and positive attitudes towards Science among all learners.

The Senior Secondary Science syllabuses recognise the importance of offering key concepts and principles of Science in Physics, Chemistry and Biology to provide learners with a more unified view of the Sciences and awareness of the connections among them and technology.

 Aims of Senior Secondary Science : Double Award

On completion of the 2 year Senior Secondary Science : Double Award Course, each student is expected to have:

1. developed an appreciation and an enjoyment of Science and Science-related work in improving the quality of life.
2. developed such skills as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, inquiry, teamwork and interpersonal skills to assist them in solving technical and technological problems as they relate to day-to-day life situations.
3. developed abilities and skills (such as experimenting and investigating) that are relevant to the study, safe practice and application of science.
4. developed an understanding of the applications of science and the technological, economic, ethical and social implications of these.
5. developed an understanding of the significance of information and communication technology in the day-to-day life situations and the world of work.
6. acquired knowledge, attitudes and skills that will promote an awareness of health practices that prepare them for a productive life.
7. developed positive attitudes such as open-mindedness, inventiveness, concern for accuracy and precision, objectivity, integrity and initiative towards scientific skills.
8. developed desirable attitudes and behavioural patterns in interacting with a technological changing world in a manner that is protective, preserving, developmental and nurturing to the environment.
9. developed an understanding of key concepts and principles of science as they are experienced in everyday life.
10. developed an awareness that the applications of science may be both beneficial and detrimental to the individual, the community and the environment.

Assessment

To ensure that learners attain the set aims, the course will be assessed through a variety of continuous assessment techniques. Projects, tests, experiments, surveys etc. will be used. The outcome of these will be used to improve instruction and guide progression.

At the end of the course a terminal examination will be administered. Continuous assessment in the form of course work will also contribute to certification. Where it is not possible to offer course work, alternative papers to test the same knowledge, skills and attitudes will be used.

Examination syllabuses will be developed by the examining body to provide teachers with guidelines on objectives to be tested.

Organisation of the syllabus

The syllabus is divided into three sectionsPhysics, Chemistry and Biology. Each section is organised aroundbroad content areas subdivided into topics. Each topic consists of general objectives which give rise to specific objectives. The specific objectives describe what learners are expected to do. These objectives are divided into Core and  Extended. The Extended specific objectives are highlighted in bold italics. All learners are expected to follow the Core specific objectives. The Extendedobjectives provide more challenging work for those learners able to benefit from it.

At the beginning of the syllabus, details about experimental and investigation skills needed to carry out practical work have been identified. These skills should be applied through out the Science course.

The Science : Double Award  syllabus has been developed on the assumption that it will be allocated a minimum of 320 minutes per week. Each section of the syllabus has been designed to be completed in approximately 90 hours of teaching time.