As the 2015/2016 academic year gradually draws to a close, the Ministry of Secondary Education is not leaving anything to chance. A meeting of national and regional officials and examination board heads held on Friday, April 22, 2016, at Government Technical High School, Nkolbisson, Yaounde.

It was chaired by the Minister of Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe,

who said the meeting was aimed at assessing the coverage of syllabuses and the performance of learners. “Each year, we must prepare well to avoid falling into routine as no two examination sessions are the same,” he warned. He added that the gathering was an opportunity to refocus energies in order to achieve set objectives.

Humphrey Ekema Monono, Registrar of the General Certificate of Education, GCE Board, announced that examination results will in future be published online. But for this year, SMS text messages and newspapers will be used. Humphrey Ekema Monono announced the introduction of new subjects like Logic and Citizenship Education. “One question we keep asking ourselves is, in the face of this increasing number of subjects, how many subjects is a candidate allowed to sit? The subjects are getting too many. We will present this problem to the authorities,” he promised.

He disclosed that GCE practicals begin on May 2, 2016. Some 182,416 candidates will sit the GCE examinations this year – with over 138,000 candidates for Ordinary Level and about 46,000 for Advanced Level. On his part, Dr Zacharie Mbatsogo, Director of the Baccalauréat Board, said they were well advanced in examination preparations. An additional 11,500 candidates have registered for various certificate examinations this year, giving a total of 360,500 candidates, he disclosed.

“The biggest innovation this year is the introduction of observers in the examination process, especially in secretariats. These people will also serve as ‘chargés de mission,” Dr Zacharie Mbatsogo pointed out. Concerning the Far North Region, he said examination conditions will be the same like in 2015.