5th International Conference On ICT For Development, Education And Training,

ZAMBIAMay 27-29, 2010

Title of Presentation

EQUIPMENT, CONNECTIVITY AND ACCESS IN SCHOOLS:

THE CASE OF CAMEROON.

By:

Nkehsera Claire Ndangle

To present the state of schools in Cameroon in relation to equipment, connectivity and access.

• To find out how equipped the schools are;

• To find out whether computers are connected to the internet;

• To find out how accessible these computers and internet are to teachers and students.

 

• Case study research methodology

• The population of the study - educators and managers of the ten schools selected in Cameroon for the PanAf research agenda project.

• Data currently available on the PanAf Observatory www.observatoiretic.org

• Interviews- educators and managers of the selected schools.

• Statistical analysis and illustration of data.

Institution N° of learners

N° of Educators

N° of computers in the institution

N° of computers for educators

N° of computers for learners

% of computers connected to the Internet

Collège des Lauréats

900 71 26 3 20 100

Ecole Les Champions FCB

280 9 12 3 9 0

E. N. S. de Yaoundé

4550 250 145 132 132 100

Ecole Pri. et Mat. les Oiselets

600 18 8 1 6 87,5

Table 1: ICT Situation in Selected Schools (indicators:2.1.1,2.1.2,2.31.2.3,.2,2.3.3,2.4.1,2.4.2)

Longla Comprehensive College

2426 94 120 120 65 54,17

Lycée Bilingue de Yaounde

7000 200 72 10 72 100

Lycée Classique et Mod. MVO. 1118 34 75 14 61 60

Lycée Général Leclerc

5182 188 67 5 58 94,03

Lycée Joss 2497 95 75 0 69 92

Lycée Technique de Bafoussam 1417 111 14 2 10 100

Table 1: ICT Situation in Selected Schools (indicators:2.1.1,2.1.2,2.31.2.3,.2,2.3.3,2.4.1,2.4.2)

Specific Objective 1: To find out how equipped the schools are (PanAf Observatory Indicators 2.3.2, 2.3.2, 2.4.2).

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N° of computers for educators

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Figure I:

Specific Objective 2: To find out how connected the schools are

% of comp. connected to the Internet

100 100 100 94,03 92 87,5

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Figure 2:

Specific Objective 3: To find out how accessible these computers and internet are to teachers and students.

•“Though we have access to the computers in schools and do use them, the computer laboratory time table is not very comfortable and so we most often find ourselves obliged to use the cyber cafes” says one of the teachers during interview.

•Teachers have access to the computers in the school computer lab during their free periods or following established timetables.

•Following the computer laboratory time tables, students are more privileged than teachers in accessing the computers in schools.

• All 10 schools have been equipped with computers

• Some schools: Ecole les Champions FCB de Memiam; Collège des Lauréats have encouraging computer/student ratios(average of 25/1) than others like, Lycée Bilingue de Yaounde (117/1).

• 9 schools are connected to the internet and 1 (Ecole Primaire et Maternelle les Oiselets) is still to be connected.

• Students are privileged than teachers in accessing the computers in schools

• For schools to be sufficiently equipped and connected, with ICT all bodies concerned will have to constantly put this into every debate.

• The type of head teachers and principals we recruit in our schools will determine how well we can fare in integrating information and communication technologies.

• Managers are to see how well these schools can be equipped, how well these computers can be used by both teachers and students and whether the schools are connected to the internet or not.

• Because some principals (C. les L. Douala, and E. les C. FCB) are not versed with ICTs it is difficult to equip, connect and create access in these schools(indicator 7.8.2). ENS Yaounde and LCC Mankon with ICT literate managers are better equipped and at least 93% of computers connected.

• Initial and in-service training for managers that include the pedagogical use of technology is virtually nonexistent;

• Problem of access to computers by educators;

• Problem of continuous maintenance (indicators 2.5, 7.9)

1. The Ministries of Basic; Secondary and Higher Education.

• To collaboration with school managers: - in equipping schools in order to improve on the

student/computer ratio;

- get into agreements with internet suppliers and technicians so all computers in schools can be connected to the internet.

Recommendations to:

2. School Managers to allocate more time for teachers to use school computers.

Uganda