Professor Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education, wants smooth and secure examinations for the credibility of our education system.
The Distance Education Centre of the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) played host to an important consultation meeting presided over by Professor Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education, on Monday, 13 May 2024.
This was in the presence of Boniface Bayola, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Secondary Education in charge of Teacher’s Training, Professor Fabien Nkot, the Secretary-General, Akat Etta Fidelis, the Inspector-General of Services, Jean Paul Marcelin Mebada, the Inspector-General of Education as well as directors of the central administration and ministry’s officials from the Regions. Officials from the GCE-Board and the Office du Baccalauréat du Cameroun were equally present.
The meeting which was extended to education partners, including representatives of officially recognised teachers’ trade unions and national education secretaries, mainly aimed at paving the way for a hitch-free and harmonious organisation of the 2024 official examinations session. The transfer of certain competences from MINESEC to the decentralized local authorities was equally a key point discussed during the meeting.
On this latter, participants concurred with the fact that all secondary education stakeholders concerned with the decree signed by the Head of Sate on 27 April 2023 to lay down conditions governing the exercise of some powers devolved by the State upon Regions in the area of secondary education, needed to enhance their appropriation of this presidential decree through capacity building so as to be aware of their respective roles and responsibilities. It was advised that decentralized local authorities at the regional level organise workshops on the appropriation of this decree by the Education Community.
Regarding the 2024 official examinations session, Professor Nalova Lyonga challenged all parties involved in official examinations to work for the credibility of our education system, beginning with the competitive entrance examinations into General and Technical Secondary Education, slated for 14 May 2024 nationwide. Issues such as leakage of papers, security in and around examination centres, timely payment of invigilators and examiners, availability of composition materials and the dressing code of some candidates were examined in-depth.
The Minister of Secondary Education instructed that no delays in payment should be recorded concerning the Concours d’Entrée en 6ème and the Entrance Examination into 1st Year of Technical, Vocational and Agricultural Schools, because the money and the lists were available in each examination centre. The same situation should prevail in GCE and OBC Examinations, since the subventions were equally paid.
The leaders of the teachers’ trade unions thanked Professor Nalova Lyonga for her personal involvement in getting teachers’ issues solved and expressed appreciation for the Minister’s willingness to involve all education stakeholders in improving the Secondary Education sub-sector.
To this effect, the Minister of Secondary Education, Professor Nalova Lyonga instructed the Distance Education Team to select the best teachers in all the subjects to prepare candidates for official examinations through virtual revision sessions which shall run from Wednesday, 15 May to Monday, 10 June 2024, so as to improve and increase the success rate in Secondary Education.
Aimé Ngidjol, ARO 1/CELCOM