*Also advised To Make Examinations More Inclusive
By Christopher Ambe
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| GCE Board Registrar: Sir Monono Ekema Humphrey |
Secondary Education Minister Louis Bapes Bapes, last November 28, in Buea used the 20th Anniversary
of the Cameroon General Certificate of Education(GCE) Board and the
inauguration of its head office to call
on the registrar of the examinations
body to continue maintaining the high
standards the Board has set for itself. He reminded the Board of the need to
implement recommendations of two recently held GCE syllabus review conferences
"I expect you to start implementing the outcome of the
syllabus review conferences in Limbe and Kumba", the Minister told GCE
Board Registrar Monono Ekema HumphreyMinister Bapes equally implored the
registrar to put in place “maximum security and adequate procedures for the credibility
of your examinations” and to proceed with periodic review of syllabus content
and assessment strategies so as to make the board’s examinations reliable and
comparable to those of other examination authorities especially in the light of
scientific,professional,pedagogic and technological developments
“ If you do that and your staff continues to measure learning
with honesty, that will make the
certificates you award veritable international currencies that will be accepted
in the international market place”, the
minister told Mr.Monono Ekema ,adding
that “The Board has set for itself and its products high standards. I challenge
you to maintain them”
The Registrar was also advised to carry out studies on how to
widen the types of special needs he can cope with in order to make the
examinations more inclusive.
The minister acknowledged the achievements so far registered
by the GCE Board and called for more.
Stressing the need for state corporations and establishments
to be results-oriented, Minister Bapes noted, “As the people hold the
government more and more accountable, so too Government shall hold its agencies
more and more accountable”
Talking about the new GCE head office, the minister said what
has been realized is only part of a whole. “We know that the initial design was
for Blocks ‘A’,’B’ and ‘C’ and the fence. Government has constructed Block ‘A’
and the fence. Blocks ‘B’ and ‘C’ are still to be constructed”, he said,
announcing that construction works for Block ‘B’ will soon start.
He called on the registrar to ensure the cleanliness and
maintenance of the new building, which he counted as one of President Paul
Biya’s greater achievement projects. Minister Bapes commended Chariot Company
and Ndowecam Enterprise for the construction works as well as TA Engineers and
the Control team for supervision.
The Minister recalled that he made the construction of a
befitting GCE Board office a priority project when in 2008 he visited Buea and
saw the rented buildings used as the GCE Board office, with all the attendant
inconveniences.
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| Minister Louis Bapes presiding at the GCE Board's 20th Anniversary |
Although the GCE board was created in 1993, the Government
initially budgeted for the construction of the GCE Board office in 2009 but due
to some difficulties, the contract was only awarded in May 2012 and signed in
July 2013, according to the minister.
Earlier in his address, Monono Ekema Humphrey, who became GCE Board Registrar since 2006 ,said Decree No.93/172 of 1st July 1993
signed by the President of the Republic ,marked official birth date of the Cameroon General
Certificate of Education Board, adding that 1993 to 2013 marks twenty years and
calls for celebration.
GCE Board Achievements
The Registar boasted that the Board was celebrating 20 years of significant achievements.
Mr. Monono Ekema said in 1993 when the Board was created
there was no organizational structure. Prime Ministerial Order No.112.CAB/PM of
12 October 1993 provided the legal framework for an organizational structure.
According to the Registrar: “In 1993 Messrs.Dioh Sylvester
and Azong Wara Andrew constituted the only human resources of the Board. Today
2013 it has full Council and 92 permanent workers and more; in 1993, it owned
no equipment. At the age of 20 she owns an appreciable number of computers,
laptops, computer printers, risogragh printers, optical mark reader machines, and
other modern office equipment
“We all know that examination results were managed manually
using hand ruled broad sheets called Mark Check Lists. Twenty years down the
line she has moved from one automated system to another passing through the
Optical Mark Reader (OMR) scanners and forms to E-registration with the
consequential gain in time.
“The Board has moved from publishing results in September as
it did in its first examination session in 1994, to publishing results in July
as it has been doing for the last couple of years thereby facilitating
candidates’ admissions within and outside Cameroon.
“The Board has also moved from two examinations with 30
subjects to eight examinations with over 400 subjects, as well as registering a
geometric candidate increase, from 23000 candidates in 1994 to more than
150,000 in 2013)
“In 1994 examiners marked examinations out of good will and
for virtually no payments.Today, in its 20th year of experience, the
Board succeeds to pay transport dues, script dues, and complete out-of -station
allowances at the official rates.Furthermore, in its early year’s .Board
workers went without their lean salaries for several months. Today (with
reasonable salaries), Board workers are not owed any arrears.
“In 1993 the Board owned no car; today twenty years after,
the Board has a modest fleet of eight cars including one truck and one bus. To
God be the glory”
The Registrar said when the Board started out in 1993,she was
not known to any international association but today it is a tall member of two
major International associations of educational assessment in Africa and the in
the world.
“In that capacity the Cameroon GCE Board has been at the
forefront of the organization in Cameroon hosting two AEAA conferences with the
Board Registrar serving as former President on each occasion. The Board has
also participated in two continental research projects-one on the development
of Item Banking based on Item Response Theory and the second on the development
of an African Indigenous Data Processing Software,” Monono Ekema said.
Other achievements of the Board include two successful
syllabus review conferences organized-one in Limbe for general education
subjects and the other in Kumba for technical education subjects; the
publication of research papers in International journals by Board chairman and
staff; the GCE Board has also published two books loaded with useful material
for in-service capacity building; the GCE board is now using more modern
equipment to transcribe questions for visually impaired candidates as well as
extending Board examinations to other categories of candidates with special needs.
It should be noted that the above achievements have attracted
numerous awards and recognition on the board and its Chief Executive Officer
Gratitude to Government
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| Partial View of New GCE Head Office ,Molyko-Buea |
While thanking Government for funding the realization of the new
GCE Board head office, Monono Ekema said: “It is a physical embodiment of the
English subsystem of educational assessment in Cameroon. It is memorable
signpost that testifies to the fact that health and wealth of our fatherland is
in constructive evolution. This is a signpost accompanying our Head of State,
President Paul Biya in his greater achievement project. In deed, this is a
prologue to the eminent manifestations to commemorate our 50th
anniversary of reunification. This is more than just a building: it is a
monument reflecting the commitment of a people with a common purpose...”
Former Board Officials Honored
The registrar saluted the huge contributions to the growth of
examination body of pioneer GCE Board Registrar Azong Wara, and those of former
deputy registrars Mbong Johannes Ngole and Akoko Mathew Abiewa.The three were
during the ceremony publicly honored with awards. He also tribute to other former
GCE Board officials, now of blessed memory: Dr. Omer Weyi Yembe(former
Registrar),S.N. Dioh(board chair) and H.N. Endeley(former board chair).
Labour Medals
Monono Ekema congratulated some 20 GCE workers who during the
ceremony were awarded labor medals in recognition of meritorious services
rendered to the board.The Medals were affixed on their them by the Senior
Divisional officer for Fako,Zang III
The Registrar thanked other stakeholders who in one way or
the other have contributed to the success of the GCE board and promised that
the Board would “double its efforts to ensure that in future the achievements
will be multiplied
Other highlights of the ceremony included a welcome speech
Buea Mayor Ekema Patrick; the poetry awards plaques and prizes to student
contest winners, technical presentation of the building, cutting of the ribbon
and unveiling of the inaugural plague, and a guided tour of the offices of the
new building by the Minister.
Among the VIPs who witnessed the grandiose ceremony in front
of the new GCE head office near Bilingual Grammar school Molyko were Professor
Dorothy L.Njeuma; University of Buea Vice-chancellor Dr.Nalova Lyonga;the
Paramount Chief of Buea SML Endeley;CDC General manager Franklin Njie and Clement Fon Ndikum,SG at Buea Governor’s
Office.
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