Addressing the challenges of the school year and the education system in Cameroon
The Minister of Secondary Education, Prof. Nalova Lyonga, gathered her collaborators on Wednesday, 22nd November 2023 to make a mid-term assessment of the school year 2023/2024 and discuss about improving Cameroon Education System.
The Distance Education Centre played host to the meeting. Prof. Nalova Lyonga and her collaborators (Mr Bayaola Boniface, Prof. Nkot Fabien, Mr Mebada Marcelin, Mr Akat Fidelis Etta, MINESEC directors, inspectors, regional delegates…) met to assess progress of the school year and decide on remedies where necessary.
Digitalization of education, one of Prof. Nalova’s workhorse, was at the heart of discussions on this day. Speaking during this meeting, Mr Mebada Marcelin, Inspector General in charge of Education in the Ministry of Secondary Education, considered the process of digitalization “irreversible, implemented with method and serenity, and at multiple speeds.” Implementation of digitalization is done with the help of various partners working hand in hand with MINESEC to achieve this goal. Inspectors are at work for the inclusion of digitalized lessons in teachers schemes of work. They are working to enable teachers use self-produced digitalized lessons but also the ones put at their disposal by the Distance Education Centre. Teachers are recommended to use softwares such as Google forms and others to digitalize their lessons. Needless to say, the task is both interesting and challenging.
During this meeting, challenges impacting the achievement of the school year objectives in general and digitalization (some teachers are computer illiterates) in particular were identified and addressed. So, Recommendations were made by MINESEC officials and instructions given by the Minister to overcome the identified difficulties, notably the one linked to class disruptions in some areas.
This meeting was also an opportunity to brainstorm once more on improving Cameroon Education System. This justifies regular attendance by MINESEC officials at international conferences relating to education. The most recent was in China where among other aspects the 3H approach was discussed: 3H approach covers 3 key developmental domains – HEAD (knowledge & skills), HANDS (participation & contribution) and HEART (values & emotions). So, MINESEC officials brainstormed on this and on correlations with other educational aspects.
ABILAMEKOU BADJEL Théodore:
Senior Staff