By Peterkins Manyong & Jeff Ngawe Yufenyu
The Cameroon Teachers'
Trade Union, CATTU, has described the ongoing census of teachers carried out by government as a scheme to waste time and siphon public funds. Simon Nkwenti, CATTU's Executive Secretary, made this declaration during a press conference on Tuesday, June 27, a day after a meeting by the Union's Council.
According to Nkwenti, the exercise is monotonous and ineffective because it cannot uproot the "ghost" teachers, which is the aim.
First, Nkwenti argued, the exercise was announced three months before it started.
This gave most of the ghost teachers who have since sought greener pastures abroad enough time to come back. The exercise, Nkwenti continued, is being carried out with the active participation of the very principals who protect the ghost teachers.
Worse still, the census is being done during holidays when teachers are supposed to be enjoying a good rest, or are involved in end-of-course exams.
They are thus obliged to return to their place of work and this is a great inconvenience to them. In short, the government does not know how to count, Nkwenti stated.
Chaotic Exams
Commenting on end-of-course examinations; First School Leaving Certificate, FSLC, BEPC, GCE, etc, Nkwenti admitted that some good work was done at least at the level of the GCE examinations. He appreciated the security measures so far taken by the GCE Board to avoid fraud, such as the use of candidates' pictures on slips.
Nkwenti also commended the effective moderation of the Food and Nutrition examination. He did not, however, have the same kind words for the Board in relation to English and Literature.
Concerning English, he said instructions were conflicting while for Literature, speeches of some characters were attributed to others. He, however, took great exception to the manner in which teachers are selected for the correction exercise.
Experienced markers, he said, are kept aside in preference to student teachers and even non-teachers. He argued that the choice of teachers should be determined by intellectual and economic factors.
He also frowned at an exodus of teachers from schools in Bamenda Central to those in other Subdivisions in Mezam, in a bid to earn out-of-station allowances from the GCE Board.
The solution to the problem, he said, is for the board to introduce a honourarium allowance for teachers of Bamenda schools as a means of keeping them there.
Nkwenti also noted that the First School Leaving Certificate examination took place in a calm atmosphere, but regretted that there was shortage of question papers in rural areas where photocopying machines are lacking.
He also said marking of the First School Leaving and the Common Entrance Examinations is poor because the fee per script is outrageous (FCFA 30).
As a result, teachers have boycotted the correction exercise, obliging the Ministry of Basic Education to recruit charlatans for the exercise. He called for a review of the 1979 decree, which established this marking fee, arguing that examination charges have since increased to FCFA 500 to FCFA 5000.
Disaster in Francophone Exams
The situation of Francophone exams is no better, Nkwenti said. He said for the past three years, the failures in BAC have been so massive that Cameroon Francophones, with hope of pursuing university studies are obliged to move to Chad and other Francophone countries to obtain it.
He faulted Francophone parents for nonchalance and especially for abandonment of exam issues to teachers. As for the Probatoire exams, he said it should be abolished as it has since become obsolete.
World Teachers' Day
The CATTU council meeting, Nkwenti said, also envisaged the celebration of the World Teachers' Day on October 5. He disclosed that the council dedicated this year's Teachers' Day to women because of the enormous sacrifices they make in the education of the children.
It is despicable that a teacher should be paid 30 F CFA to correct a FSLC or Common Entrance Script. These exams are the fundamentals of education and the authorities that be should show a lot of respect for those correcting scripts rather than abuse them.
Posted by: Wembenyui | Sunday, 03 July 2005 at 08:56 PM