The Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, has expressed gratitude to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its ongoing support to Cameroon, particularly in the distance education sector.
The Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, has expressed gratitude to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its ongoing support to Cameroon, particularly in the distance education sector. He made this remark on September 9, 2024, at the Distance Education Centre in Yaoundé during a visit with UNESCO Director General, Audrey Azoulay.
The Minister of Secondary Education, Nalova Lyonga, was on hand to welcome them, in the presence of several state officials.
During the visit, the Prime Minister explained that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO provided significant support for the development of distance education in both the basic and secondary education sectors.
“The ‘My Online School’ initiative was created to allow learners to access lessons even while confined at home. Additionally, equipment has been provided to the Ministry of Secondary Education to support the organization of the Distance Education Centre we are visiting today. Furthermore, teachers have received training to enhance their professional skills in this domain. I would also like to highlight UNESCO’s support for developing a sectoral platform for the education management information system, as well as the provision to the Cameroon National Institute of Statistics to host these platforms,” Joseph Dion Ngute continued.
He also took the opportunity to congratulate all the teachers and stakeholders in the educational chain who have embraced the new dynamics of distance education.
Meanwhile, Minister Nalova Lyonga expressed her gratitude to UNESCO. She said, “The disruption caused by COVID-19 showed that distance learning could guarantee continuous education during a crisis and could significantly improve face-to-face learning. UNESCO remains one of the most important partners of this centre.”
The Minister added that UNESCO provided seven state-of-the-art cameras with all recording and transmission accessories, along with 15 portable computers and three high-performance laptops intended for the production and distribution of digital resources.
“Additionally, three studio labs and modems from various internet service providers were supplied to facilitate internet access. With this range of materials, we were able to penetrate new educational avenues,” Nalova Lyonga highlights.
As a result, the Ministry of Secondary Education now has five video recording studios, a technical room for editing and broadcasting, and a YouTube channel dedicated exclusively to the dissemination of resources produced by this centre. These tools and equipment, combined with training for those involved in the teaching process, have led to the production and distribution of 10,000 lessons in video format.
The officials visited the studio classrooms to better understand how the Distance Education Centre operates.
This visit to the Centre coincides with activities marking International Literacy Day, which are being held at the Yaounde Conference Centre.
Che Tembuck
