By Willibroad Nformi
Ahead of the 2009 General Certificate of Education, GCE, Examinations in which candidates are expected to be tested on the multiple choice questions, MCQs, format, History and Citizenship teachers in the Northwest have met to lay the ground work for greater success.
At a two-day seminar in GBHS Fundong, Boyo Division, recently over 100 teachers grouped under the Northwest History and Citizenship Teachers' Association, NOWEHCTA, brainstormed on the new format of setting MCQs, challenges and the way forward.
In a paper titled" The New Format of GCE History O/L and A/L Examinations from June 2009: Challenges and Expectations, from a Historian Pedagogue's Perspectives," David Njung Nguuma, justified the introduction of MCQs into the GCE Exams arguing that it will, inter alia, ensure syllabus coverage, assess objectives, skills and competences as required in the syllabuses and keep both examiner and candidate abreast with modern developments in testing.
It will also limit the possibility of exams leakages, cope with increasing number of candidates and guarantee objectivity and reliability in assessing learning achievements.But some of the participants saw the introduction of MCQs as a ploy by the GCE Board to frustrate their extra earnings derived from manually correcting scripts.
The participants later grouped themselves into O/L and A/L workshops for the MCQs and committees for drawing up work schemes.Njung, who teaches History in GBHS Ndop and the Higher Teacher Training College ENS, Annex Bambili, gave a historical background of the GCE Board which he said dates as far back as 1944 when most secondary schools in Nigeria and the then Southern Cameroon's took the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate, UCLES, as their final examinations.
He explained that with the Cameroonisation of the London GCE in 1977,
things went on smoothly until 1984 when problems set in with the total
withdrawal of British experts.
He said the problems encountered by the GCE put to question the
credibility of the examination. This resulted in the struggle that led
to the creation of the Cameroon GCE Board on the October 12, 1993 by
the Government.
NOWEHCTA Achievements
NOWETHCTA pioneer President, Joseph Lon Nfi, said the association had forged ahead since its creation in 2002.He cited the association's constitution, the publication of a journal, improved performances of history candidates at end-of-course exams and cooperation ties with the Teacher's Recourse Centre, TRC, as some of their achievements.Lon Nfi maintained that MCQs remained some of the challenges facing the association.
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