THE MINISTRY OF SECONDARY EDUCATION BEEFS UP ITS OFFER IN TECHNICAL SECONDARY EDUCATION WITH ELEVEN NEW SPECIALTIES.

Office automation, stenotyping, taxation, business computing, bakery and pastry, meat processing, painting, ceramics and sculpture, tannery and leather industry, textile and pressing are the new specialties technical secondary education will offer as from the 2021-2022 school year in Government Technical Bilingual High Schools (GTBHS) Nsam and Maroua.

The information was disclosed by Professor Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education, during the closing ceremony of the pioneer trainers’ training session on the specialties mentioned above at GTBHS Nsam on 18, May 2021. On the occasion, Secondary Education Minister was accompanied by Boniface Bayaola, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) in charge of Teacher Training, alongside other high ranking officials.

Within the framework of the project to enhance Technical Secondary Education (PEST), fifty-three (53) technical education teachers drawn from all over the country were trained from 15 February to 15 May 2021 on the mastery and teaching of these specialties, so as to ensure a smooth transfer of knowledge and know-how to learners. The training which was offered by professional institutions specialising in these domains blended theoretical and practical lessons with a two-week internship in well-established companies.

Teachers exhibited the know-how earned at the end of the three-month training in various stands which were visited by Professor Nalova Lyonga and her entire delegation. In each stand, the Minister enquired about the process and the materials used in the production of the various items displayed. She equally advised teachers trained in bakery and pastry, meat processing, textile and pressing to lay emphasis on hygiene, safety and security while transmitting the know-how to learners, since this will enable them to secure the trust of their prospective clients in the long run. “We are going to faithfully transmit what we have learned to our students”, trainees assured the Minister.

In her remarks, Professor Nalova Lyonga thanked the Islamic Development Bank for supporting the State of Cameroon in improving the standards in technical secondary education through PEST project. “The teaching of these specialties which have been chosen based on the needs of the country’s socioeconomic environment will ultimately provide a sustainable solution to youth unemployment”, the Minister concluded.

By A. Ngidjol, CELCOM MINESEC

This is the leitmotiv of the four-day capacity building workshop for pedagogic inspectors and teachers of computer sciences organized by the Inspectorate of Pedagogy in charge of the teaching of Computer Sciences. The workshop took place at the Teachers’ Resource Center known by its French acronym CAAP from the 17 to 19 and 21 May 2021.

The opening ceremony chaired by the Inspector General of Education, Pr. NSATA AWOUNDJA Catherine brought together National and Regional Pedagogic Inspectors as well as teachers of Computer Sciences. In her address, she lauded the Inspector Coordinator General in charge of the teaching of Computer Sciences for organizing such a workshop and hoped that the set objectives will be attained. Pr. NSATA AWOUNDJA acknowledged the presence of teachers who came from the field. She congratulated them on the work done and said their input was highly awaited. While wishing all participants fruitful deliberations, she declared open the workshop.

                                  

In order to guarantee the achievement of the set objectives, the seminar was structured around two main phases: Training and the immediate practice on the field. As such, it is not just a purely theoretical exchange, but the knowledge acquired shall be immediately tested on the field.

MINESEC welcomes the new Turkish Ambassador to Cameroon

His Excellency Volkan Isikçi, the newly posted Turkish Ambassador to Cameroon paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Secondary Education, Professor Nalova Lyonga, on Thursday 15 April 2021.

This audience with the Secondary Education Minister who was assisted by Boniface Bayaola, Secretary of State in charge of teacher training in the said Ministry was an opportunity for the Turkish diplomat and the Secondary Education boss to review the fruitful cooperation Cameroon has been enjoying from Turkey in boosting its Secondary Education sector.

Citing the experience earned from MAARIF School and Government Bilingual High School Mvomeka’a as some of the major outcomes Cameroon-Turkey cooperation has achieved so far, not forgetting the construction of the Government Technical and Vocational High Ekounou which is underway, Prof Nalova Lyonga told H.E. Volkan Isikçi that MINESEC expected much more from this relationship, especially in the fields of the teaching and practice of arts, cinema and the manufacturing of sportwear.

The Turkish diplomat gave Prof Nalova Lyonga assurance of his country’s full support in advancing the Cameroon’s Secondary Education. The diplomat pledged to play a decisive role in facilitating contacts between Turkish companies and the Ministry of Secondary Education.

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Aimé Ngidjol

Prof Nalova Lyonga Advocates the Holistic and Intrinsic Education of Students.

A 2-day visit in the seaside town of Kribi provided Prof Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education, the opportunity to take significant actions towards revitalising the Education Community rocked by a wave of students’ misconduct.

The visit of the Minister of Secondary Education in Kribi was highly expected as the city earned a bad name over the past few weeks following incidents, notably the “magic” purse and the sex tape involving students of Government Bilingual High School Kribi (GBHS Kribi). The launching ceremony of the 28^th Edition of the Open/Business Days of Technical and Vocational Education in Government Technical High School Kribi (GTHS Kribi) on 25 March 2021 was therefore the perfect occasion for Prof Nalova Lyonga to address these issues.

Students’ ingenuity showcased in Arts, Crafts, ICTs, Engineering and Agriculture during the Open/Business Days in GTHS Kribi, and the effective involvement of parents in improving education standards through the construction and transfer to the government of a GF+1 Classroom Block by the Parents-Teachers Association of GBHS Kribi on 26 March 2021 couldn’t be overshadowed by the offending behaviours of some students. Notwithstanding, such mischievous conduct requires the utmost attention of all education stakeholders, hence the minister’s call to the whole community: “we have to educate, all of us here, the children to the highest we can.”

It is in this regard that Secondary Education Minister took heed to consult the top administrative authorities of Kribi, alongside the school authorities of GBHS Kribi and listened to the authors of the sex tape and their parents, in order to have a full understanding of the situation. Hailing and ratifying the provisions taken jointly by the school and administrative authorities to provide psycho-educational support to the culprits of the sex tape in a special scheme away from their usual classroom setting, Prof Nalova Lyonga entreated the entire community to assist and sustain the Education Community of Kribi: “education starts from home, don’t run away from your responsibilities”.

It is obvious that Kribi deserves the human capital worthy the huge infrastructural investments the government is making in this city to foster the emergence of Cameroon. To add to this positive momentum, the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EVO Solutions, an IT Corporate. Through this agreement whose very first yield is the provision of 1,500 tablets with didactic contents, MINESEC intends to enhance the education offer by reducing the digital divide, and empower youths to tap on their tremendous talents and achieve their most cherished dreams.

In the same vein, Secondary Education boss granted 75 million worth of equipment to GTHS Kribi and announced the imminent opening of a Bilingual Technical High School in Kribi so as to beef up the technical education offer in both official languages. This gesture is equally a sign of gratitude for the peaceful and welcoming attitude of the local population towards the IDS (internally displaced students) from the North-West and South-West Regions. In turn, the traditional authorities of the seaside resort welcomed and raised Prof Nalova Lyonga to the rank of notable in Grand Batanga, in recognition of her constant commitment to upgrading education standards in Secondary Education.

By A. Ngidjol, CELCOM MINESEC