Students sitting the 2021 exams
Anglo-Saxon culture of education is one major thing which Anglophone Cameroonians hold dear to their heart. Maintaining the standards of credibility of end-of-year examinations organized by the Cameroon General Certificate of Education (GCE) Board has been an age-old tradition for this structure. The tradition is still respected like before by the new management of the board.
Students taking exams nationwide
Ensuring the credibility of the exams from preparation, writing, marking and release of results has remained a major priority of the Registrar Dang Akuh Dominic, the Board Chairman, Prof. Ivo Leke Tambo and the Minister of Secondary Education, Prof. Nalova Lyonga.
This has been the reference point of the three officials especially the Registrar since his appointment by a Prime Ministerial Order January 31, 2018. His appointment was described by many as a square peg in a square hole.
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With the ongoing Anglophone crisis, many thought the quality of exams organized by the board would drop but the new team has stayed true to the task assignment them especially within this delicate time of insecurity in the two region and recently the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exams have been organized uninterrupted in all accommodation centres as has been the case before the crisis hitch-free. The board has successfully liaise with decentralized services of the ministry of the secondary education to organize the exams and ensure the long-standing tradition of credibility.
The results the Registrar and the Board Chairman have been visible and palpable. Both officials have steadily steered the GCE Board ship amid the crisis rocking the two Anglophone regions. The GCE has since their coming steered clear trouble waters and controversies.
Despite the crisis, the examinations has increasingly witnessed a rise in the number of candidates taking part in the crisis-hit regions in particular an in the entire country in general.
Exams have unfolded smoothly with no major hitch over the past three years. It is in the same spirit that this year’s written phase is unfolding at the Ordinary and Advanced levels and the Technical and Vocational Education Examinations, TVEE. Measures had been taken to this effect by the board and ministry.
The unfolding of the current session has been hailed Secondary Education Minister, Prof. Nalova Lyonga. She expressed satisfaction with the respect of what she termed was “long-standing tradition”.
“My impression is just very good. This is tradition. We are sure to say that the English-speaking areas have a tradition as far as examinations are concern and this is the tradition we are seeing displayed, all starting at the same time and finishing at the same time. We could see that even before we came, they were also settled in their classrooms, all ready to begin,” Minister Nalaova Lyonga revealed while expressing satisfaction to the respect of Covid-19 barrier measures in all the centres.
“They all have water to wash their hands and their facemasks. I think they are all doing their best to observe those measures,” the minister stated. The examination is unfolding under a context marked by the Covid-19 pandemic where the candidates and invigilators are expected to strictly observe and respect all the barrier measures prescribed by government and the World Health Organisation.
Over 170 483 candidates are sitting in for the exams this year compared to the 154 149 for last year. This gives an increase of 16 334 new candidates taking the exams compared to last year. The exams are unfolding in 336 examinations centres for the O/A levels and 97 centres for the TVEE nationwide.
A total of 93 643 students are currently taking the Ordinary level this year compared to the 85 975 for 2020 making an increase of 7 668 new candidates. The Advanced level also witness an increase of 2 254 new candidates as 13 263 registered this year as compared to 11 009 in 2020.
The TVEE intermediate level has a total of 55 580 registered candidates compared to 49 699 in 2020 with an increase of 5 881 candidates while the TVEE Advanced level has a 531 increase in number of registered candidates with 7 997 this year opposed to 7 466 last year.
Despite being a crisis area, the North West and South West regions have also had an increase in the number of candidates sitting in for the exams this year with the NWR moving from 14 000 candidates in 2020 to over 20 000 this year while the SWR has 30 141 candidates for the O/A levels plus 7126 TVEE intermediate and advanced levels.
The exams have been unfolding hitch-free nationwide in strict respect of all anti-Covid-19 barrier measures put in place by government and the World Health Organisation.
By Doh Bertrand Nua
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