Monono Humphrey Ekema, Registrar of the Cameroon GCE Board, talks on the recent introduction by government of an intensive bilingual French laguage subject in the GCE syllabus.
The Minister of Secondary Education has just announced the creation of a Special Bilingual Education specialty in the Cameroon GCE Examination. What is it all about?
The Cameroon GCE Board is a testing organisation. When specialties of this nature are designed and propounded by educators or examiners, we are equally involved to test them. In evaluating the Special Bilingual Education Programme, we have to begin from 2014 onwards. The BEPC had started last year.
It means that we shall be testing Special Bilingual Education French. We will test in French, Citizenship as well as in Sports and Physical Education. The questions relating to these components shall be set in French and the candidate shall answer in French only. To have a certificate in this Special Bilingual Education specialty, even if you pass in this special subject you must also show a pass in three other O/L subjects in order to have your four Ordinary Level subjects required to pass your examination.
Why then are there Bilingual Schools in Cameroon?
The Bilingual Schools unfortunately had a costly experiment. You know of the Man O’ War Bay that came up to Buea as the Bilingual Grammar School in Molyko. After extra hours in French for Anglophones and in English for Francophones, they are merged in Form Three and receive all subjects in English and in French too. It was quite a load.
I know how parents complained about buying books. So, that experiment was found to be a little heavy. With the increase in the number of schools, I am not sure these schools would have sustained the experiment. This new specialty is trying to build a new generation of bilingual Cameroonians.
Are the candidates adequately prepared and is the Board ready for this new examination next June?
From what we have gathered, selected pilot schools are well prepared and motivated. First, as individuals, it is not a compulsory project. It is left for the individual to opt for that programme. We are ready to test candidates in June 2013.
