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PROMOTION OF QUALITY EDUCATION

Infrastructure and Business Incubators in Schools under Scrutiny

7 schools in the Mfoundi Division hosted top officials of the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) concerned about the teaching conditions of learners.

The Minister of Secondary Education, Prof Nalova Lyonga, in the company of Boniface Bayaola, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Secondary Education in charge of Teachers’ Training (SEESEN), toured 7 schools in Yaounde, on Monday, 20 March 2023. This was to appraise the construction of school infrastructure and check the effective operation of business incubators in some schools.

School infrastructure are key in achieving quality education. It is in this context that officials of MINESEC undertook a visit to review major school infrastructure projects underway in Vocational Secondary School Ekounou, Government Bilingual Technical College Mewoulou and Government Bilingual High School Nyom. In each site, the Minister and her delegation enquired about the execution rate of works and gave clear recommendations, including full compliance with contract specifications.

The ministerial delegation made a stopover at Government High School Elig-Essono where 6 classrooms get flooded whenever rain falls, owing to the obstruction of the existing waterways. Consultation between local residents and officials of both the Ministry of Secondary Education and the Ministry of State Property and Land Tenure is envisaged to end this predicament.

Government Secondary School Mendong offered a brighter image with its completed G+1 building, comprising 8 classrooms, offices and well specified toilets for girls and boys.

At Government Bilingual High School Essos, the Minister was satisfied with the playground which was refurbished to promote safe and professional sport practice. Upon completion, this sport complex will be scalable into 1 handball court, 2 volleyball and basketball courts and 1 lawn tennis court.

With increasing emphasis being laid on imparting knowledge and job-ready skills in students, business incubators are functional in Government Bilingual Technical College Mewoulou and Government Technical High School Ekounou; this aims to provide learners with hands-on training in Home Economics as well as Boiler and Industrial Piping respectively.

At GBTC Mewoulou, Prof Nalova Lyonga advised students to always observe hygiene and sanitation measures in handling foodstuffs destined for human consumption. She equally urged the principal of the school to train learners in book-keeping, so as to equip them with accountability skills necessary for their future professional success.

At GTHS Ekounou, students made and displayed iron-cast products, including gates, bannisters, curtain holders, ovens, barbecues and benches. After appraising the products, the Minister urged teachers to train learners in a way that they will be able to face the stiff competition in the job market. As such, learners must be encouraged to improve finishes and use quality materials.

The assessment visit which started in the Centre Region will be extended to the South and Littoral Regions.

Aimé Ngidjol

Senior Staff/CELCOM

MINESEC Women, at the Heart of Digitalization.

Weeklong activities leading up to the celebration of the 38^th edition of the International Women’s Day ended with pump and fanfare in MINESEC

The ball was set rolling in the Ministry of Secondary Education with a capacity building seminar on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This was the major innovative activity this year’s international women’s day celebration in MINESEC as explained by the gender focal point of MINESEC, Mme. Bernadette MBIAH epse Sansi.

From the 02 to the 07 of March 2023, women of the central and external services of the Ministry of Secondary Education took turns in building their capacities in Information and Communication Technologies at the Teachers’ Resource Center in Yaoundé.

Then ensued a panel discussion on the IWD 2023 theme “Digit ALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”, moderated by Technical Adviser No. 03 at the Ministry of Secondary Education, Mme Poss Mangong Marie Julie Elise. During this discussion, panelists underscored the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online gender-based violence. They emphasized the need for an inclusive and transformative technology and digital education which is crucial for a sustainable future. The theme is aligned with the priority theme for the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women CSW – 67 “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. 

True to its tradition of ensuring the health and wellbeing of the women, a free eye screening campaign was on the menu. According Dr. WANYANG, née MAINDURYANG Madeleine, sub-director in charge of health in the Department of guidance counselling, school life and educational assistance, eye problems are the most frequent health issue recorded in her department. That is why it was deemed necessary for a free eye screening campaign to be carried out. A culinary art exhibition, showcasing menus from the four cultural areas of Cameroon was also done by the women.

All these activities culminated in a beautiful parade at the 20^th May ceremonial ground after which Prof Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education, offered an exquisite cocktail to the staff of her ministerial department.

K. T. Lois Ngek

ARO N°2

Meeting with Budding Entrepreneurs from Secondary Schools

Government Technical High School Foumban was the place to be on Thursday, 9 March 2023, to appreciate the inventive spirit of secondary school students.

This was during the official launch of the 2023 Edition of Technical and Vocational Education Open/Business Days, chaired by Prof Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education, in the presence of Awa Fonka Augustine, Governor of the West Region, and other top officials of the Ministry of Secondary Education.

This 30^th edition of Technical and Vocational Education Open/Business Days was organised under the theme: “Open/Business Days: Showcasing made-in-Cameroon products through inclusive, pluralistic and quality education, resilient to Cameroon’s industrial, technological and environmental challenges”. It was an opportunity for secondary school students to showcase their know-how and inventiveness in various specialties, including Architectural Design, Building and Construction, Computing, Handicrafts, Home Economics, as well as Tertiary Sciences and Technologies.

At Foumban, the City of Arts, Professor Nalova Lyonga and her delegation were particularly impressed with the genius of students from Government Bilingual High School Zenmeh who designed a smart vehicle with the ability to dodge obstacles, using their knowledge in Computer programming and Physics. The main idea behind the project is to reduce road accidents and resulting human casualties.

Other worthwhile projects developed by students included the production of biogas by students from Government Technical High School Mbouda, the production of fuel from plastic waste by students from Government Technical High School Bafoussam and the design and development of a mini hydropower plant by students from Government Technical High School Babone who were awarded the first regional prize for this project.

The visit of stands at the end of the formal ceremony provided a deeper insight into students’ mastery of culinary arts, computer management and architectural design as well as handicrafts with bamboo-made stools and woven raphia palms for roofs. These are all clear evidence of a flourishing Secondary Technical and Vocational Education which is effectively preparing students for a smooth integration into the business world. In this regard, Professor Nalova Lyonga requested schools “to become reliable production centres”.

Aimé Ngidjol

Senior Staff/CELCOM

PROMOTION OF INCLUSIVE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

 KeyZane at the doorstep of the Ministry of Secondary Education.

Dr Severin Kezeu presented KeyZane, his cutting-edge invention, to the officials of the Ministry of Secondary Education during a talk chaired by Professor Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Secondary Education, in the company of Boniface Bayaola, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Secondary Education in charge of Teachers’ Training. It was on Friday, 10 February, 2023 at the Distance Education Centre of the Ministry of Secondary Education.

KeyZane, the artificial intelligence application developed on blockchain technology, was the topic of discussion between the officials of the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) and Dr Kezeu Severin, a Cameroonian-born Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics expert based in the Silicon Valley in the USA.

For more than two hours, the expert explained the composition and functionalities of his invention which allows for secure and smart corporate management while enabling social, financial, economic and administrative inclusion among the various stakeholders. Concretely, KeyZane uses the blockchain technology to come up with an AI avatar of any real-life entity, institution or person with their respective functions and roles in the digital world.

In MINESEC, KeyZane is seen as a decisive management tool, thanks to its capabilities to fit in with the existing services to boost the digital transformation underway in the Ministry. The super application is highly expected to address the issue of violence in schools by mapping risk factors so as to monitor and check violence in schools through security alerts sent to school officials. Worries regarding the security of data were equally cleared by the expert who indicated that his invention is end-to-end encrypted with data stored in their country of origin.

Ultimately, Dr Kezeu Severin aims to disseminate his scientific and technological expertise to the general public in emergent and developing countries, beginning with youths and students. MINESEC officials appreciated such knowledge and experience sharing encounters with the Cameroonian diaspora and wish they become regular so as to foster the technological transformation of the country.

                                                                                                                                                   Aimé Ngidjol

                                                                                                                                            Senior staff/CELCOM

National Week of Bilingualism 2023

30^th January 2023, Mbandjock wakes up to a new dawn in the mastery of the two Official Languages.

Weeklong activities marking the celebration of the 18^thedition of the National Week of Bilingualism have been launched in Mbandjock, Upper Sanaga Division of the Centre Region.Chaired by the Secretary of State in charge of Teachers’ Training in the Ministry of Secondary Education,Boniface BAYAOLA accompanied by the Secretary-General of the Centre Region, personal representative of the Governortogether with top ranking officials of the Ministry of Secondary Education, the official ceremonial ground of Mbandjock witnessed a massive turnout of pupils, students, teachers, education stakeholders and partners for the occasion.

Celebrated under the theme “Bilingualism: a window to cultures and technologies, a human capital development tool for the emergence of Cameroon.” Students and pupils from the Centre Region took turns in gracing the event with a variety of sociocultural activities ranging from bilingual news presentations, sketches and traditional dances from the four cultural areas of Cameroon. These presentations showcased the important role bilingualism plays in the sociocultural and economic growth of the country.

The Mayor of Mbandjock,Madam Angele Nya Ngo’o, in herwelcomenote underscored that the mastery of English and Frenchare a source of the sociocultural and economic development of society. She urged learners to take advantage of this for the consolidation of living together and social wellbeing.

The mastery of both official languages facilitates the integration of learners into other cultures and widens their knowledge in information and communication technologies as well as renders them more productive in the professional world.

Mr. EKO SAMA Robert, Inspector-Coordinator General in charge of the Teaching and Promotion of Bilingualism in the Ministry of Secondary Education in his message said “on the instructions of her Excellency Professor Nalova LYONGA, Minister of Secondary Education all schools were involved in a competition involving the production of a Bilingual School Magazine wherein students express themselves in the official languages. Through these magazines, our students have displayed their linguistic and journalistic talents. Following the evaluation by National Pedagogic Inspectors, 03 schools stood out; Adonai College in Douala, GBHS Bayele in Bamenda and GHS Bafoussam.”

He also emphasized that to ensure the constant practice of bilingualism in schools all over the country, “all regional inspectors are to ensure that, the bilingual game is practiced by teachers and that the language clubs are created and operate effectively in all schools. They are called upon to appoint a vice principal in charge of bilingualism in schools where this is not the case. They are also called upon to organize weekly bilingualism day during which all students as well as teaching and administrative staff speak their second official language.”

This launching ceremony also saw the award of prizes to 20top scholars and 06 teachers of the Upper-Sanaga Division who had recorded outstanding performances insome subjects.

The Secretary of State and his entourage proceededthereafter with the reception of a newly constructed and equipped scientific laboratory offered by the National Sugar Refinery Company (SOSUCAM) to Government Bilingual High School Mbandjock.

K. T. Lois Ngek

ARO N°2