Our Blog

ACCELERATION OF DIGITALIZATION IN MINESEC

INAUGURATION OF AN INTELLIGENT CLASSROOM AT LYCÉE GÉNÉRAL LECLERC

In a landmark moment signalling Cameroon's bold stride into the future of education, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Joseph Dion Ngute, officially inaugurated a state-of-the-art Intelligent Classroom on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at Lycée Général Leclerc in Yaoundé, describing the event as ''a significant contribution towards digitalizing education.''

 The Prime Minister presented the project as particularly timely ‘‘as it helps bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas by enabling students in remote areas to benefit from digital lessons without the need for an internet connection or expensive electrical installations.’’

Far more than a ribbon-cutting ceremony, this inauguration is the living, breathing proof of what strategic international collaboration can yield. The Intelligent Classroom stands as the crown jewel of a fruitful and trailblazing partnership between the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) on one side, the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) chaired Lord Johnathan Peter Marland, and Promethean on the other.

Lauding the synergy between MINESEC and its international partners and acknowledging their contribution to the acceleration of digitalization in MINESEC, Professor Nalova Lyonga celebrated the AI-driven educational revolution in Cameroon and the leap from standard multimedia resource centres to "Intelligent Classrooms. After the Centre and Southwest regions, the Government plans to expand these 'Intelligent Classrooms' to the Northwest and East regions next, and then nationwid

 In a powerful endorsement of Cameroon’s educational trajectory, Dr. Simon Leung, President of Promethean, believes the 'Intelligent Classroom' will create a conducive environment where students can be more interactive, more curious, and more engaged in their own learning. He described the structure as ‘‘light, modern, inspiring, designed to match global standards; more importantly, designed to be replicated wherever there is a need... This unit is equipped with 60 solar panels, battery storage, independent water supply, separate sanitation facilities, and also the capacity and capability to operate fully off-grid.’’

06

The ceremony was graced by the presence of Members of Government, including the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Professor Fame Ndongo, the Minister of Basic Education, Professor Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, Members of Parliament and actors of the educational community.

 The inauguration concretely materializes MINESEC's unwavering commitment to digitalization and to building a robust, far-reaching distance education system.

ABILAMEKOU BADJEL THEODORE

SENIOR OFFICIAL/CELCOM

NATIONAL WEEK OF BILINGUALISM 2026

The 21st Edition of the National Week of Bilingualism has been officially launched in Edea, Monday, 2 February 2026.

This major national event taking place under the theme Artificial Intelligence at the Service of Bilingualism was presided over by Prof. Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education, alongside the Governor of the Littoral Region, Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, the Secretary of State in the MINESEC in charge of Teacher's training, Bayaola Boniface, the Secretary General of MINESEC, Prof Fabien Nkot amongst other top ranking officials of the Ministry of Secondary Education, and other local dignitaries.

The opening ceremony featured several key speeches, starting with a warm welcome from the Mayor of the Edea city council Dr Nlend Albert Emmanuel, who highlighted bilingualism as a unifying force within Cameroon’s diverse society. The Regional Delegate of Secondary Education for the Littoral Region, Mme EBOA Thamar on her part, praised the progress in bilingual education while calling for continued improvements in language instruction, emphasising the role of technology in enhancing Cameroon’s bilingual education and communication.

A series of artistic performances by local students captivated the audience. Skits, poems, and debates demonstrated their bilingual skills and understanding of the theme, showcasing how technology can help bridge language gaps and enhance learning. Students passionately discussed the opportunities AI offers, such as personalized language learning, improved translation tools, and the preservation of indigenous languages.

The event culminated with an inspiring speech from the Minister of Secondary Education as she stated that “We are actually entering into a post COVID period which has made technology go one step ahead as far as education is concerned. Don’t be afraid of Artificial Intelligence but use it to fortify you in whatever profession you are trying to do. Scientists have been able to bring up new tools and we who are teachers have to learn how to use these tools.”

She ended by reaffirming government’s commitment to strengthening bilingualism, emphasizing the importance of integrating AI to improve educational access and ensure linguistic equality. The Minister’s address reinforced the vision of a future where technological innovations will play a crucial role in advancing bilingualism in Cameroon.

04                                                                              KIFEYIN T Lois Ngek/ CELCOM

This is the key instruction the Minister of Secondary Education, Professor Nalova Lyonga, dished out to all secondary education stakeholders for the 2025-2026 academic year.

       For the successful conduct of the 2025-2026 academic year which will officially kick off on Monday, 8 September 2025, the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) intends to capitalise on the positive momentum gathered from the 2024-2025 academic year to further advance the secondary education subsector. But for this to be effective, Secondary Education Minister urged teachers, school administrators and Ministry’s officials to stand out by their concrete actions rather than by mere rhetoric.

         This was during the solemn opening of the academic year 2025-2026 at Government Bilingual Technical High School Nsam on Tuesday, 19 August 2025. The event was attended by all top rank officials of the Ministry, including the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Secondary Education in charge of Teachers’ Training, Boniface Bayaola, the Secretary-General a.i. Djomnang Tchatchouang Léopold, the Inspector General of Services (IGS), Akat Fidelis Etta, the Inspector General of Education (IGE), Jean Paul Marcellin Mebada. Inspector-Generals of Pedagogy, Central Administration Directors and the ten Regional Delegates of Secondary Education were equally present, alongside prominent guests like Professor Eugene Sobngwi and the Director General of FEICOM, Philippe Camille Akoa.

       The solemn pedagogic opening is a pivotal moment of the school year where the roadmap and initiatives that will shape all educational and administrative activities for the upcoming school year are defined. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the Ministry of Secondary Education will mobilise its action around the theme: “Safety, Health, and Learning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

        In her keynote address, Professor Nalova Lyonga highlighted the major achievements of MINESEC during the 2024-2025 academic year. These include: the successful implementation of distance learning through digitalisation that led to appropriate syllabi coverage nationwide, improved academic results, with the heart-warming example of Government Secondary School Mikila in the Adamawa Region, concrete testimonies of the positive use of Artificial Intelligence as well as other impactful initiatives like “Bridge the Gap, Change the Narrative” which gave the Secondary Education subsector an uplifted face in the three Northern Regions of Cameroon.

      Building from this momentum, Professor Nalova Lyonga envisages taking secondary education to a higher level with an increased use of digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence in the classroom, as many more schools will be equipped with smart boards this school year. Artificial Intelligence associated with the updated syllabi which were handed over to the ten Regional Delegates of Secondary Education is highly expected to contribute to improving students’ learning experience so that they will be able to create solutions to problems and change the narrative in their respective living environments.

      Emphasis will equally be laid on enhancing inclusive education in secondary schools and ensuring learners’ security and health, beginning with healthy nutrition in schools. Hence the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Professor Eugene Sobngwi, the promoter of RSD Institute, who made an insightful presentation on the necessity of scaling up healthy nutrition to adolescents during the ceremony.

    In order to translate this vision into a tangible reality for all secondary school students, the Minister of Secondary Education instructed teachers, school administrators as well as officials of MINESEC to stand out through hard work and concrete achievements which henceforth will be key determinants for promotion.

     Relying on the presentations made by the IGE, the Inspector-Generals of Pedagogy and the Director of Guidance Counselling, School Life and Educational Assistance (DOVAS) during the event, all the stakeholders are committed to put hands on deck in order to make “Safety, Health, and Learning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” a resounding success in the Ministry of Secondary Education under the enlightened leadership of Professor Nalova Lyonga.

Aimé Ngidjol, ARO 1 Celcom/MINESEC

118,035,500 (one hundred and eighteen million thirty-five thousand five hundred) CFA francs is the overall amount disbursed by the Government of Cameroon to enable 8,540 candidates sit in for the 2025 session of examinations organised by DECC, OBC and GCE-Board, in the Logone and Chari, and Mayo Danay Divisions which were hardly hit by floods in 2024.

With the approval of the Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya and following the authorization of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, the Minister of Secondary Education, Professor Nalova Lyonga, signed two decisions aimed at preserving the right of access to education for candidates in the above-mentioned Divisions.

The first decision authorizes the deduction of 22,081,500 (twenty-two million eighty-one thousand five hundred) from the Solidarity and Education Promotion Fund for the payment of official exam fees (DECC, OBC, GCE-Board) for 1,613 candidates who were victims of the floods in the Logone and Chari Division.

The second decision authorizes the deduction of 95,954,000 (ninety-five million nine hundred and fifty-four thousand) from the Solidarity and Education Promotion Fund for the payment of official exam fees (DECC, OBC, GCE-Board) for 6,927 candidates who were victims of the floods in the Mayo-Danay Division.

The two decisions which translate the Government’s strong commitment to promoting education among vulnerable groups, were made public on 18 February 2025 by the Minister of Secondary Education, Professor Nalova Lyonga, during a special communication at the Distance Learning Centre. This was in the presence of Boniface Bayaola, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Secondary Education in charge of Teacher’s Training as well as the heads of schools and members of the beneficiary education community who were attending by videoconference.

In making public this strong action of the Government in support of the affected students, Secondary Education Minister thanked the High authorities of the Republic of Cameroon for their constant solicitude in promoting equal opportunities, by guaranteeing access to quality education for all citizens, so that no one is left behind.

Professor Nalova Lyonga urged the members of the affected Education Community to provide these candidates with the necessary support in the preparation of official exams, so that their success rates should reflect the life-saving action taken by the public authorities to their benefit.

Aimé Ngidjol,ARO 1/CELCOM-MINESEC

This was during the inspection visit Professor Nalova Lyonga undertook to 8 schools in the Centre Region on Tuesday, 14 January 2025 to assess the effective takeoff of lessons, one week after class resumption for the second term of the 2024-2025 academic year.

Together with the Secretary General a.i., Djomnang Tchatchouang Leopold, the Inspector-General of Education, Jean-Paul Marcellin Mebada, other officials of the Ministry, including Directors and Technical Advisers as well as the Regional Delegate of Secondary Education for the Centre, Secondary Education Boss, Professor Nalova Lyonga went to Government Bilingual High School Nkoabang in the Mefou-and-Afamba Division, Government Bilingual High School Nsam-Efoulan, Government Bilingual Technical High School Nsam, Government Technical High School Yaounde 3, Government High School Ngoa-Ekelle, Government Bilingual High School Etoug-Ebe, Government Technical High School Afanayoa, all in the Mfoundi Division, and Government High School Oveng-Mbankomo in the Mefou-and-Akono Division.

The visit which aimed at confirming the smooth running of schools after class resumption for the second term, also sought to find out the management of PTAs, the effective use of Distance Education teaching resources, the implementation of the unique identifier among others.

Additionally, the ministerial delegation assessed the overall state of hygiene, sanitation and safety of the schools visited while laying emphasis on the effective presence of personnel at their duty posts. Therefore, Professor Nalova Lyonga reiterated her zero-tolerance policy towards absentee and indisciplined staff members against whom commensurate disciplinary sanctions shall be taken in compliance with the regulations in force.

Overall, Professor Nalova Lyonga was satisfied with the level of implementation of the various reforms she has initiated this far. The Minister commended the officials of Government Technical High School Yaounde 3 for their remarkable efforts in promoting inclusive education. It is the first Technical High School to make provisions for inclusive classes hosting students with special educational needs alongside other normal students.

The Minister of Secondary Education instructed the various school officials to ensure that their respective schools are clean and safe, and that students are taught and followed-up adequately in order to achieve good performances and outstanding results at the end of the academic year.

By Aimé Ngidjol, ARO1-Celcom