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