Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon.
Following criticisms and varied opinions on the manner in which the public accessed the General Certificate of Education, GCE, Advanced, Ordinary, Technical and Baccalaureate results for 2013, the Registrar of Cameroon GCE Board, Humphrey Ekema Monono says there was no deal between the GCE Board, himself and the Mobile Telephony Company, MTN.
At a press conference, Wednesday, August 7 2013 at the lobby of the Examination Department of the Board in Buea, Monono explained that the Board, in its modernisation drive, bought a code from the Telecommunication Regulatory Board, TRB, which will enable candidates to access their results via SMS.
Humphrey Ekema Monono Registrar GCE Board fielding questions from the press
While accepting that candidates initially faced a problem of traffic and did not understand how to go about the process, when the results were released, Wednesday, August 31 2013, Monono said it is better now and the process will last for a month after the date of publication of results.
According to the Registrar, the Board is working hard to meet national and international standards, which include making results a personal issue and not a public matter. “We are making efforts to solve a problem from the beginning, the manner in which results were disseminated. Now, we have to master and ensure that the Board and Cameroonians are safe,” he mentioned.
Journalists at the press conference.
Monono said the Board is getting modern and they have to move ahead, adding that it is not a reason to kill the traditional methods of disseminating results but there must be a reason to protect the results. “Our romance with the print media in Cameroon will not stop but we have to concretely pave the way forward. The suggestions from them will only make the Board a better place,” he noted.
He dismissed claims that the results were given to MTN, noting that they had their server and the code procured from TRB to move on with the operations. “This was only another method crafted by the Board to make available the results to candidates. It was not obligatory to access the results via sms. Before we declared the results, all the examination centres, across Cameroon had them; the slips and result booklets. However, we accept the comfort and discomfort of modernisation,” he said
Monono added that the world is changing and Cameroon cannot be left behind. “Together we can make the world a better place by not nursing fears towards change but accepting it. Change is difficult to accept but it is the only thing that can move the society forward. What we are doing is improving the dissemination of results. Let us give Cameroonians the opportunity to exploit the essence of the World Wide Web.”
On the 2013/14 vision of the Board, Monono indicated that unlike in the past, there will be no late or extra late registration for potential candidates, saying this request falsifies the statistics of the Board as they move on with the examination process.
Deputy Registrar in charge of Technical Services, Stephen Kanjo, will corroborate the Registrar, saying they are not relenting in their efforts to move forward with new ideas. “More innovations are in the pipeline. We must correct the mistakes of the past, results are a private matter. They are not announced.”
Denis Ndasi Mofor, Deputy Registrar in charge of Examinations expressed worry that mal practices are on the increase during examinations, despite attempts by the Board to curb the situation. “We decry the increasing use of mobile phones by candidates during the exams and obscene language exhibited by some candidates on their scripts. These are also mal practices,” he said.
Southwest Regional Delegate of Secondary Education, Francis Ngundu Mokumba conceded that the initial worries from the public are legitimate but will reiterate that the Board and Cameroonians have to move forward and appreciate new technology.
Humphrey Ekema Monono has been Registrar of Cameroon GCE Board since 2006.
