West Region: ANTIC arms university, secondary school teachers with ICT skills.

It has brought together 70 teachers and 16 lecturers. Focused is on cybersecurity best practices and the proper use of online teaching. 

The Deputy Director General of ANTIC, Abenkou Eba'a Paulette, who represented the Director General, Prof Ebot Ebot Enaw, described the seminar as crucial to the teaching and learning process in schools and universities. 

Eba'a said faced with the rise of digitalisation, ICTs are now at the heart of the country's economic, social, and educational life.

She said the transformation offers immense opportunities to teachers including improving teaching methods, expanding access to knowledge, and new forms of collaboration and pedagogical innovation.

Eba'a added that the advent of emerging technologies, particularly generative Artificial Intelligence, opens new perspectives while also presenting a major challenge for the educational ecosystem. 

“It is therefore essential to strengthen and update our capacities and knowledge in order to protect students from the potentially harmful impacts of these technologies," she stated, while recalling President Biya’s 2022 appeal for the responsibility of all and sundry to “fully restore the place of basic moral values and respect for public order” in the use of social networks. 

She explained that in line with the Head of State's call, it was important to emphasise that new technologies are accompanied by numerous cyber risks such as online scams, disclosure of personal data, cyber-blackmail, cyber-harassment, fraud via social networks, dissemination of malicious content, and many other threats that affect both educational institutions and learners.

The prevention of the cyber risks, she insisted, must be perceived as a shared objective. 

"Indeed, the protection of our cyberspace goes beyond the scope of IT experts. It is a matter of genuine civic competence and collective responsibility, which actors in the education system are called upon to fully assume," she stated. 

"In this context, you, teachers, occupy an essential position: You are the primary role models for the responsible and secure use of digital tools. You are the transmitters of knowledge who, beyond academic content, train future responsible e-citizens," she added. 

Eba'a told the teachers that their ability to integrate ICTs into their pedagogical practices, while ensuring data protection, the prevention of cyber threats, and student awareness, is now decisive.

Why seminar timely

Speaking further during the ceremony, the ANTIC Deputy DG explained that among other things, the training aims to strengthen the knowledge of the teachers and lecturers on cybersecurity and good digital practices as well as how they utilize innovative digital teaching tools including virtual classroom platforms and open educational resources. 

She said participants will be presented methods and technologies for securing data in the school environment, equipped to foster the sharing of experiences between secondary and higher education teachers, in order to integrate ICTs into learning in a harmonious and secure manner.

Eba'a disclosed that the various panels will be led by university professors and experts in ICT, Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity. 

"Their presentations will allow you to acquire a better understanding of these essential themes, so that you can actively contribute to the construction of a quality educational ecosystem," she told participants, adding that ICT tools are “reshaping and transforming every sector of human activity including education”, and serving as “powerful instruments for learning and innovative teaching". 

Eba'a also cited the benefits of ICT in teaching and learning, ranging from improved access to study materials to the ability to create more interactive, learner-centered lessons. 

Thanks to ICTs, Eba'a said teachers can bring abstract concepts to life via video demonstrations, animations and simulations, thereby deepening students’ understanding and active engagement.

"Moreover, ICTs, particularly Artificial Intelligence, can assist teachers in preparing lessons, monitoring student progress, and identifying learners who need additional support," she continued, while cautioning teachers to watch against cyber threats such as data breaches, phishing scams, malware and ransomware attacks as well as identity theft. 

“This implies that any single careless click on a malicious link or attachment can compromise personal data, disrupt learning, or jeopardize the digital safety of students and teachers alike," she said. 

She added that the training is in keeping with ANTIC’s mandate to promote the development and responsible use of ICTs as well as ensure the security of the national cyberspace. 

Aside drilling participants on cybersecurity best practices, sessions will also feature innovative teaching methods, online classroom management, data protection tips, generative artificial intelligence and its impact on the educational system and digital assessment techniques, that foster interactive and learner-centered education.

By combining digital literacy and cybersecurity skills, organisers say, participants will be required to enhance the quality of lesson delivery and serve as digital citizenship ambassadors, guiding students both in knowledge acquisition and responsible online behaviour.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3639 of Friday November 28, 2025