Education In Cameroon Research Articles

ADVANCING PERSONALISED LEARNING IN DISTANCE EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BUEA: A PATH FORWARD FOR A MASTERS PROGRAMME IN NURSERY AND PRIMARY EDUCATION

The realm of nursery and primary education in Cameroon has witnessed the introduction of novel curricula aimed at fostering competencies among learners, particularly accentuating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. This paradigm shift underscores the pressing demand for educator’s adept at navigating and fully leveraging these curricular frameworks to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes requisite for the learners' holistic development. Concurrently, the enactment of the National Development Strategy 2020-2030 (NDS30), geared towards propelling Cameroon towards emergent status by 2035, serves as a resounding call for concerted efforts across all sectors, including education, to realise the stipulated objectives. Consequently, there is an urgent imperative for a cadre of high-calibre educators equipped with the specific knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to yield the desired educational outcomes. Such educator proficiency can only be cultivated through rigorous professional programmes that address contemporary challenges and foster avenues for lifelong learning. It is well-established that higher levels of education are intricately linked with elevated pedagogic standards (Howes et al., 2003; Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). In alignment with this premise, the Faculty of Education at the University of Buea has devised a master's programme in nursery and primary education employing a blended learning model, encompassing both face-to-face and online learning modalities. Nonetheless, to provide truly tailored educational experiences catering to the diverse talents, interests, and needs of each learner, a personalised learning approach is indispensable. The creation of a personalised distance learning environment holds paramount significance, particularly in light of the burgeoning prominence and acceptance of personalised learning within higher education circles. This initiative furnishes a roadmap for transitioning from conventional face-to-face instruction to online learning through the lens of personalised learning principles.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0736/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

On and off line hate speech and academic performance in secondary education in Cameroon

Despite the increasing scientific attention given to hate speech, there is a lack of empirical studies examining the effect of hate speech among secondary school students and its association with academic achievement. The objective of this research is to assess the associations between online and offline hate speech based on gender, religion, ethnic affiliation, and academic achievement. The results suggest that hate speech is not spread evenly across the distribution of students, but rather is concentrated primarily among students with lower academic performance, both online and offline. More specifically, hate speech based on gender and ethnicity was found to have significant and negative associations with educational outcomes when it occurred online. In contrast, hate speech based on religion also had a significant and negative associations with educational outcomes when it occurred offline. It is worth noting that a student's ability to connect to the internet from his or her own phone is positively associated with better school results, while presence on social networks is negatively associated with these results. These results may be helpful considering policies to improve healthy school environments in the future.

STUDENTS’ PRACTICE OF MATHEMATICS AND ITS EFFECT ON THEIR NUMERICAL SKILLS IN PROBLEM-SOLVING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN FAKO DIVISION, SOUTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON

For several decades mathematics has been called the “critical filter”, because students who are inadequately prepared in mathematics during secondary school lose many career choices that would otherwise be available to them. Also, for those students who pursue post-secondary education in Cameroon, success in O-Level mathematics is a pre-requisite for most degree programmes in business, computing and the sciences. This makes mathematics very pivotal in reshaping the future and students’ attitude towards mathematics an area of concern. Negative attitudes towards mathematics are damaging, leading to disengagement, increased anxiety and lack of confidence, and reluctance to try to improve skills. Cameroon needs graduates with advanced mathematics skills to promote innovation, data synthesis, and technology if it is to solve challenging problems and be competitive in the global scenario. This study examined students’ practice of mathematics and its effect on their numerical skills in problem- solving in secondary schools in Fako Division, South West Region of Cameroon. The objective is to find out whether students’ practice of mathematics has any influence on their numerical skills in problem-solving. The mixed research methodology with convergent parallel design was used. The target population comprised 6350 form five students from secondary schools in Fako Division. The accessible population was made up of 1036 students and the sample size of the study was made of 512 form five students from six colleges using the random sampling technique. There were also 26 teachers and 6 Heads of Mathematics Department. Data was collected using questionnaire and interview guide. Instruments were validated and the reliability coefficients gave satisfactory values of 0.75 and 0.743 for students’ and teachers’ questionnaire respectively. The statistical analyses and findings reveal that students’ practice of mathematics has a positive correlation with their numerical skills in problem-solving. It was recommended that: (1) problem-solving should be part of each curricular unit and begin in kindergarten. For this to be effective, the teaching of problem-solving should not be isolated, instead, it can serve to support and enrich the learning of mathematics concepts and notation. (2) teachers should cultivate students’ interest in mathematics as early as possible. Varying classroom instruction practices could be a remedy to enhance students’ understanding, achievement, and motivation in learning mathematics.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS BETWEEN SPECIALIST AND GENERALIST TEACHING OF SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY IN THE ANGLOPHONE SUB-SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN CAMEROON

The study was designed to investigate the academic achievement of primary school pupils between specialist and generalist teaching of science / technology in the anglophone sub-system of education in Cameroon. The study employed a concurrent triangulation mixed – method combining both a quasi - experimental design and a survey design. Two generalist classrooms and two specialist classrooms with 60 students each were equally shared between the North West and South West Regions. The head teachers of the four schools were interviewed. The instruments for data collection was the Achievement Test for Level three Primary School pupils (ATLPS) and an interview guide for school heads. Quantitative Data was analysed with the support of SPSS 21.0 while qualitative data went through thematic analysis. Findings showed that the specialist class had a performance of 75.2 over 100, very significantly higher than the 47.1 over 100 recorded in the generalist class (P=0.000). The hypothesis here stated is then rejected, thus implying that specialist approach of teaching is much more appropriate in enhancing pupils’ academic performance than the currently and unfortunately sustained generalist approach. It was generally perceived that teaching method, assessment and pupils’ academic achievement were more effective in the specialist classrooms. Supervision was perceived more challenging in generalist classrooms. It was recommended that there should be a gradual integration of specialist teaching in the educational system, generalist teachers should be upgraded in subject where they are more comfortable in prospect of specialist teaching, and an improvement on administrative supervision and decision making, Training of specialist teachers to be included in the curriculum of Teacher Training Colleges.

Modernization of Higher Education in Cameroon: History, Problems and Prospects

Modernization of Higher Education in Cameroon: History, Problems and Prospects

Research Ethics in Training Curricula of Cameroon Health Training Institutions: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction The quality of protection for research participants in Africa is still marked by the lack of trained actors in this area. The study was conducted to assess the availability of health research ethics in the curricula of health-related sciences training institutions in Cameroon. Methods The study involved a cross-sectional analysis to describe the training curricula on research ethics in health training institutions in Cameroon. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that was administered face to face to the heads of institutions in late 2020. Results Twenty-one health training institutions were identified, and 18 (85.71%) participated. Health research ethics courses were present in the curricula of 16 (88.88%) of the institutions. Lectures were either a standalone module or part of a module in 14 (77.78%) institutions. The three first topics covered in the courses were the fundamental principles of ethics, the role of the ethics committee in the protection of research participants, and respect for research participants. A total of 14 (77.78%) institutions declared ethical clearance mandatory before the implementation of students' thesis protocols. Eight (50.00%) training institutions declared having at least one qualified lecturer to deliver training in research ethics evaluation. The organization of the training of lecturers in delivering lectures on research ethics was declared to be the main assistance needed. Conclusions The delivery of research ethics education in Cameroon's healthcare institutions is still limited by the fact that it does not cover all eligible populations, is not standardized, and does not yet promote the practice of requiring all student protocols to undergo preethical review prior to implementation. These points should be taken into account by the authorities in charge.

The Need for Gender Studies at All Levels of Education in Cameroon

Aim: The need for gender studies and practice in Cameroon cannot be over emphasized or remain only on papers and commemorations such as the celebration of the International Day of the Woman and conventions ratified. This paper aims at elucidating how the top-down educational policy of the government where gender studies are introduced later on under Citizenship Education has failed to inculcate desired values in society. Methods: Data was garnered empirically through observations, through study of conjugal conflict files at the Regional Delegations of the Ministry of Women Empowerment and the Family, and through related scholarly articles, books and online sources. Results: The study found that even with imposed quarters from the UN that have been inculcated in the country’s constitution, and the efforts made so far by government, there’s no parity from the executive right down to legislative, not to go down to communal and family levels in Cameroon. Findings equally show that, many women still ignorantly believe especially in rural areas, that politics is meant only for their male counterparts who are presumably heads of the families. At the level of Higher Education, some male scholars in state universities continue to falsely believe and question the competence of female colleagues. Some cultures still made parents to believe that higher education or schooling in general should be a male domain, thereby retarding the education of the girl child who is lagging behind under the bondage of culture. This is the typical case with the Hausa and Fulani residing in Cameroon and some ethnic groups caught up in discriminatory cultures all over the country. Conclusion: Gender studies should be imposed at all levels of education in Cameroon and African countries to foster gender equality. Recommendations: Government should separate gender studies from citizenship and make it a stand-alone subject known as Gender and Ethnic studies. Parents should undergo gender training courses be it in adult literacy program, and/or future parents are to gain this knowledge in schools before becoming parents to avoid being discriminative. If the gender studies are incorporated in current syllabus, Cameroonians would have no problems with notions like gender equality, equity, mainstreaming.

The Impact of Diffidence and Stereotypes on the Performance of Francophone Learners of English

The Impact of Diffidence and Stereotypes on the Performance of Francophone Learners of English

Redressing the Declining Fortune of the English- Speaking Subsystem of Education in Cameroon

The article, “Redressing the Declining Fortunes of the English- Speaking Subsystem of Education in Cameroon”, written by Dr. Kenneth Ngu Foncha is a concise, scientific and in-depth review of the current state of Anglophone education in Cameroon which, as he states, is at the root of an ongoing armed conflict.

Gender Parity in the Teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Stem) in Cameroon

The paper discusses the gender disparity in education, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). It examines the fact that teachers tend to stereotype mathematics as a male domain resulting in differential treatment of males and females in classrooms. This also results in the development of gender differences in STEM. It presents extracurricular, out of school factors and socio-cultural factors which contribute substantially to poor female enrolment in school thus causing serious gender imbalance in education in Cameroon and other African countries. The paper looks at the goals that lay the foundation for global policy on quality education and gender equity in the new millennium.

Human Resource Management and Teacher Attrition in Secondary Education in Cameroon

Human Resource Management and Teacher Attrition in Secondary Education in Cameroon

Transformation of Higher Education in Cameroon through Decentralization Frameworks

Faced with the problems and challenges of the centralized university system, the centralgovernment thought it wise to decentralize Higher Education in Cameroon.The present study looks at the various decentralization reforms put in place for the transformation of Higher Education in Cameroon and the practical measures that have been implemented to ensure this transformation. Decentralization which is widely used as an instrument of development is a process where centralized governments initiate reform agendas with the aim of transferring some powers, tasks and resources to regional governments and local authorities.Decentralization in education refers to the transfer of administrative and financialdecision-making powers from central ministries of education to the regions.In recent years, the Cameroon government has become concerned about transforming the higher education landscape. This has been made possible by ensuring the decentralization of higher education institutions according to section 34(2) of 2023 higher education policy and ensuring the implementation of the e-higher education policy.A joint agreement was signed between the Government of Cameroon and The People’s Republicof China in 2015 known as “the Electronic Higher Education Project”. The implementation ofthis project has recorded the creation of public university institutions in all regions of the country, distribution of laptops to university students and the creation of ten(10) digital centers. However, we recommend that the various digital centers should be strengthened such that lecturers should have equitable access and inter-university relations be fostered.The Cameroon University system now has a technological environment favourable for digital transformation.

Pre-Service Teacher Education in Cameroon: A Review of the Current Official Syllabuses for Teacher Training Colleges (T.T.C.)

Pre-Service Teacher Education in Cameroon: A Review of the Current Official Syllabuses for Teacher Training Colleges (T.T.C.)

Linguistic Diversity and Official Language Education in Cameroon

This paper investigates the place of linguistic diversity, (through the integration of local languages) in official language instruction in multilingual Cameroon as it determines if it is encouraged by policy, censors English language instructors’ opinion towards its implementation, identifies challenges and explores prospects (methods). It is informed by the Critical Applied Linguistics (CAL) and Vygotskian sociocultural theories and uses a survey research design and collected data through a questionnaire administered to 68 English language instructors from three regions in Cameroon through a Google Form link. The findings indicates that majority of teachers do not integrate elements of linguistic diversity into their official language instructional material because they are not encouraged by policy to do so and as such have never received training on the concept. Majority of the target instructors are of the opinion that official languages should not be the only medium of instruction in official language classrooms, official textbooks should incorporate elements of the local languages and equally hold that language instructors have the responsibility to promote linguistic diversity since it provide opportunities for students to share their own linguistic backgrounds and experiences in the classroom, enhance learning and local language maintenance. Instructors are unanimous that incorporating plurilingualism during instruction is a daunting task. The study highlights the necessity for policymakers and educators (policy makers, textbook writers, material designers and official languages instructors) in Cameroon to adopt an integrated official language instruction that embraces linguistic/cultural diversity and give the local languages the pride of place in the educational circles through recommendations. This study is a novelty by focusing on secondary education and provides practical methods of integrating local culture into English and French official languages classes.

Human Resource Capacities for Inclusive Education in the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Research around inclusive education has paid more attention on practice to the detriment of human resource capacity prerequisites necessary for its implementation. Many actors are providing education to children with disabilities in the Northwest Region of Cameroon (NWR) but little is known about their human resource capacities. Based on these premises, the necessity to fill the gap, motivated this action-based research aimed at identifying the human resource capacities available for inclusive education practice in the NWR of Cameroon. A mixed method design was adopted for data collection and analysis using a comprehensive survey and in-depth key informant interviews. The data analysis grounded on a human rights perspective focused on human resources available, including special teachers, mainstream teachers, different stakeholders and training for inclusive education. The findings show that there is disaggregated information related to human resource capacities for the implementations of inclusive education in the NWR and diversified human resources with each stakeholder implementing to the best of their individual abilities and a wide gap in collaboration amongst stakeholders. The study thus proposes strategies to enhance collaboration that is crucial for IE to succeed and concludes that there is need to build an institutional framework for collaboration that will help to harness the diversified practices. A CoP developed as a result of this research has for the past 3 years implemented 80% of the key findings. The research thus serves as an empirical baseline for projects related to inclusive education and also for researchers and stakeholders interested in the development of inclusive education in Cameroon.

Working Cimate and Counter-productive Behaviors of Teachers from the Ministry of Secondary Education in Cameroon

This research aims to show that the perceived working climate increases the counter-productive behaviors of secondary school teachers in Cameroon. Indeed, secondary school teachers increasingly develop counter-productive behaviours (aggression at work, slow work, lateness at work, absenteeism) to the detriment of respect for ethics, professional conduct and the obligation to personally ensure the public service entrusted to them. The general hypothesis is as follows: the working climate increases the counter-productive behaviors of teachers. The data collection method is the survey, and the tool is the questionnaire in the form of a measurement scale. The simple random sampling yielded a sample of 151 participants. The instrument for measuring perceived working climate is Parker & al.  (2003), which is an adaptation in French of the James and Jones scale (1974); the scale of counter-productive behaviours is that of Aubé & al (2009). The results are as follows: HR1 (β= -.44; p=.00); HR2 (β=.55; p=.00); HR3 (β= -.40; p=.00); HR4 (β= -.44; p=.00); HR5 (β= -.10; p=.35). These results show that our research hypothesis are statistically significant and that  HR1 ; HR3; HR4; HR5 are rejected while HR2 is confirmed.  the general hypothesis is significant P<.005 for most research hypotheses; this same general hypothesis is not validated. The perceived working climate does not increase the counter-productive behaviors of secondary school teachers in Cameroon.

Policy Around the Teaching of English in Technical Education in Cameroon: Achievements, Issues, and Prospects From the Perspectives of Pedagogic Inspectors

Examining the teaching and learning of English as a Second Official Language (ESOL) in Cameroon through language laws and other official documents (like the syllabi) in terms of their actual implementation is an important step in the development of ESOL education. Such investigations may contribute to the strengthening of the minority official languages and facilitate conversations on the current state of ESOL teaching and learning and on future strategies to improve its policy, especially in technical education, a field that has so far been grossly under-researched. Through interviews conducted with pedagogic inspectors, this study, unlike most studies mentioned above, investigates the ESOL education policy in place at the Ministry of Secondary Education and its implementation in technical education schools. The Ministry’s determination to improve its ESOL programs shows the positive potential in the ESOL management in French Cameroon’s technical education. However, new proactive approaches are needed in the future. One important recommendation made insistently was the need for an approach focused on reorienting ESOL programs and teacher training for technical education.

Critical Issues in Developing Skills for the Digital Economy: The State of Policy in the Ministry of Secondary Education in Cameroon

Critical Issues in Developing Skills for the Digital Economy: The State of Policy in the Ministry of Secondary Education in Cameroon

Proposals of Quaterly Themes in the Framework of the Implementation of the Interdisciplinary Evaluation System in Secondary Education in Cameroon

The aim of this study was to propose themes capable of guiding quarterly evaluations in secondary education in Cameroon. For this, the work was carried out in the field and indoors. In the field, it was a question of supporting Heads of Departments in the development of themes proposals. Indoors, the work dealt with the producing of unique respective quarterly themes. So, it can be easily seen that the desire for some Educational Departments to work in synergy as well as their difficulty in agreeing on the themes responsible for guiding the quarterly evaluations is real. The themes then designed for the first group of Pedagogical Departments are successively: Well-being and the challenges of daily life; Environmental protection and health promotion in daily life; Technological advances, interculturality and inculturation for a better integration of young people in the “modern” world. Regarding the second group, the themes are respectively: The disintegration of African cultures from the slave trade to the present day; The removal of barriers in view of the promotion of Pan-Africanism; Technological advances, interculturality and inculturation for a better integration of young people in the “modern” world. The possibility of rebuilding the contents of the programs of the various Pedagogical Departments around previously constructed themes remains possible in Cameroon; it is the guarantee of a training strongly rooted in Cameroonian culture, seen here as the springboard for economic growth.

The Nexus between Poverty, Inequality and Growth: A Case Study of Cameroon and Kenya

Abstract We conduct an in-depth analysis of the nexus between inequality of opportunity and inclusive growth in Cameroon and Kenya employing cross-sectional data collected over two time periods in each country. Empirical results show that changes in education, health and labour market endowments have large effects on household economic well-being, as proxied by total expenditures per adult equivalent. Employing the regression-based decomposition, we find that effort-based variables are associated with greater Gini inequality compared with circumstance-based variables—more so for Cameroon than Kenya. Among the effort-based variables, education in Cameroon and health in Kenya, are the main correlates of income inequality. The factual and counterfactual distribution analyses undertaken demonstrate that equalisation of human capital endowments is strongly inequality-reducing and further promotes pro-poor growth. Meanwhile, elimination of circumstance disparities in Cameroon reduces Gini inequality, enhances pro-poorness of the growth process, promotes shared-prosperity in urban areas and reduces inequality between the tails of the distribution of well-being. In Kenya, elimination of circumstance-based disparities is pro-poor improving, shared prosperity enhancing, but Gini inequality augmenting. In contrast to the Cameroonian case, equalisation of circumstances increases inequality between the tails of the distribution of well-being. The mechanisms behind these findings are probably the country-specific redistributive policies.