2025/2026 academic year: Minister announces more reforms to digitalise secondary education sector.

This was while launching the pedagogic calendar for the new school year at Government Technical High School Nsam. The event was under the theme: “Safety, health, and learning in the age of Artificial Intelligence”. 

Top officials of the ministry, including the Secretary of State to the Ministry of Secondary Education in charge of Teachers Training, Bayaola Boniface, and the Inspector General of Education, Jean Paul Marcellin Mebada, attended the event.

Also present were Regional Delegates of Secondary Education, partners of the ministry and stakeholders of the education sector. 

Minister Nalova Lyonga said the reforms to be introduced in the new school year would usher in a new era of computer-based teaching and learning across the country. 

“We are introducing more digital boards to ensure that at least every school has one classroom equipped for digital learning,” Prof Nalova Lyonga revealed. 

She added that the ministry will also roll out “intelligent classrooms”, each containing 35 computer-embedded desks, allowing students to access lessons and resources without the need for physical textbooks.

Minister Nalova also paid tribute to the ministry’s partners such as UNESCO, UNICEF, Plan International, Sightsavers, and the World Bank. She said their support has been instrumental in achieving set objectives in the secondary sector.

Touching on examination results, the minister dismissed claims that success across public examinations was due to cheating.

“The appraisal is that MINESEC and all its teachers, as well as our partners, have worked very hard. I am very proud of the students. Most of them have really worked hard, relying on their prowess, in spite of what they have been accused of, widespread copying,” she stressed.

“The results across the BEPC, Probatoire, and GCE exams show gradual improvement, which proves real effort,” Prof Nalova Lyonga added.

The member of government pointed at various initiatives that shaped last year’s academic success. She cited the Bridge the Gap and Change the Narrative, projects to retain girls in school, and programmes to upgrade teachers’ skills.

The 2025/2026 school year, she emphasised, will test the adaptability of students and teachers alike, but will also usher Cameroon’s secondary education system into a new era of digital transformation.

Review of 2024/2025 Academic Year

The Inspector General of Education, Jean Paul Marcellin Mebada, used the event to present a review of the just-ended school year. He highlighted that since the ministry embraced distance learning in 2016, significant progress has been made. 

“Since the ministry ventured into distance learning in 2016, more than 10,000 videos covering all pedagogic departments have been uploaded onto the AI-powered online learning platform. Over 80,000 students have benefited from these resources in both official languages,” he revealed.

Mebada equally underscored the gradual return to normalcy in some schools in the crisis-affected North West and South West Regions, a development widely welcomed as a sign of resilience in the education sector.

Speaking earlier, the Principal of GTHS Nsam in her welcome address, described the school as a “highly professional” learning environment. 

The principal further highlighted the school’s commitment to aligning itself with the secondary education ministry’s vision of digitising education nationwide. 

She also showcased the artistic and sculptural works of students, underlining the school’s holistic approach to vocational training.

The ceremony ended with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, between MINESEC and a health Research and Intervention institution, RSD-Institute.

Minister Nalova Lyonga signed the MoU on behalf of the ministry while Prof. Eugene Sobngwie signed on behalf of RSD-institute. The MoU aims at renewing longstanding partnership to ensure the health and safety of students and staff throughout the school year. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3540 of Thursday August 21, 2025