Effects of armed conflicts on teaching and learning: Perspectives of secondary school teachers in Cameroon

Abstract

The ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon has resulted in thousands of attacks on schools, yet education cannot wait for conflict to stop. This study sought to determine the effects of the ongoing armed conflict on classroom activities in operational schools in affected areas in Cameroon. Using a mixed method sequential exploratory design, qualitative data were collected from 19 teachers through open-ended questions and analysed using thematic analysis. Qualitative findings were used to design a questionnaire, administered to 652 teachers, and analysed using multiple response and the chi-square and equality of proportion test. Findings presented indicate that attendance, content delivery, safety, discipline, and assessment have been significantly hampered. However, classroom attendance was most significantly (p = .001) affected, disrupting teaching and evaluation with differing effects found across locations and school types. It was concluded that teaching and learning activities are ineffective and may result in further damaging effects-requiring more practical actions on school sites.