Impact of Covid-19 on the education system in Cameroon
The Director of UNESCO Regional Office met with Mr. Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, Minister of Basic Education and Mrs. Nalova Lyonga Minister secondary school in Yaoundé. The purpose of this meeting is to study alternative solutions via the use of distance learning devices based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), following the measures taken by the Cameroonian Government to stop face-to-face courses.
The Government of Cameroon has implemented since March 18, 2020, several restrictive measures for regrouping and travel, including among others the closure of all schools and universities and the suspension of international flights on arrival and departure from the country . This decision directly affects the schooling of more than 7.2 million pupils and students throughout the country, including more than 4.3 million children enrolled in primary education with 47% girls.
As part of the dynamic of the recommendations, resulting from the consultation of the Director-General of UNESCO with the ministers in charge of education in the world, the UNESCO Regional Director for Central Africa met with the ministers in charge of basic education and secondary education in order to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the education system and identify together possible alternative solutions for the continuity of educational services.
To this end, and drawing on UNESCO’s experience in implementing the “Education Cannot Wait” (ECW) project, the UNESCO Regional Director proposed to the ministerial authorities met the use of technological solutions from distance learning through the use of ICTs. This proposal was followed by practical demonstrations of the functioning of the “Avicenna” solution based on Nanoservers and mobile educational classes capable of operating online and offline and having great energy autonomy through the use of solar panels.
The shared initiative, the perspectives and the potential for large-scale use of this approach during this period and beyond COVID-19, were greeted with great enthusiasm and expectations expressed by the two ministers met who fully share the relevance of such an approach. This will allow the Government, on the one hand to respond to the emergencies of children’s access to education in the face of the immediate impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and on the other hand to anticipate the extent of educational needs, which could result from the possible extension of the closing time of schools depending on the economic dynamics linked to the evolution of the pandemic, but also to overcome in the future the challenges of access to quality education for everyone.
The two ministers met also shared with the UNESCO Representative, the initiatives recently undertaken within their respective ministerial departments and which revolve around the initiatives presented by UNESCO and this vision. UNESCO’s support was sought at several levels, in particular for the conceptual and educational aspects linked to the development of digital content and the training of actors in the educational support chain.
The ministers in charge of basic education and secondary education have pledged to facilitate the organization of a high-level sectoral and multilateral meeting to be chaired by the Prime Minister. UNESCO, in close collaboration with partners in education, will provide the technical support necessary for the organization of this important meeting which will allow the main players together to identify appropriate solutions, and operational strategies including the implementation will meet the major challenges.