4.6 PROPOSED STRATEGIES FOR INTEGRATION OF COURSES AND COURSE CONTENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTATION IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF CAMEROON
During this study it was established that it is impossible to create a new discipline for use in integrating climate change and adaptation into any level of the educational system (primary, secondary, tertiary) of Cameroon. The main reason for the impossibility was that the syllabi and their curricula were already overloaded. However, considering the importance of the subject in question at local, national and international levels, and the enthusiasm showed by administrators, teachers and students on its integration, some practicable strategies - summarized in one word insertion were identified for the integration process. The insertion could either be total, partial, or through the enrichment of contents of subjects especially those that already contain some aspects of climate change and adaptation – carrier causes. It is worthwhile to underscore the fact that the step-by-step approach, and the administrative flow path of the insertion method vary slightly for each subject and detail descriptions of the method for each level of education in Cameroon are presented below.
The steps presented have been conceived based on:
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the consultation meetings,
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results from respondents of the questionnaires, and
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further contributions at an enrichment workshop held in Kribi from 8th to 14th January 2012, and at the meeting of a “taskforce” in Mbalmayo from 14th to 19th February to validate the provisional version of this report.
4.6.1 For primary education
As a matter of strategy, the proposed course and course content could be integrated in the primary education system by total and/or partial insertion into any or all of the carrier courses identified (Environmental Education, Health Education, and Geography) while insertion into other subjects could be achieved through the addition approach.
The following sequence of activities is recommended for the strategy;
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Following the approval of the final report by PACC, it will be treasured by MINEPDED.
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A consultant to develop Teachers Guide will follow. This will facilitate the implementation of the strategy.
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When the guide is finalized and approved, MINEPDED on her part will have to hold about three consultation meetings with the Minister of primary Education with the support of UNDP for the capitalization of the documents.
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The first meeting will be for the presentation of the documents to the Ministry of primary Education with an appointment taken for the next meeting.
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The second meeting will be held with Inspector Generals and Pedagogic and National Inspectors. At this meeting MINEDUB will present their elaborated activities on how to implement the documents. On approval of the work plan, a monitoring timeframe will be set by the two Ministries for the follow up of the progress of work.
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Work will start with a national training of the trainers by the consultants on the use of the guides.
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Second training by the trainers will be at the Regions with backstopping from the consultants.
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Third training will be at the zonal level by the trainers and sub trainers.
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Fourth training will be at the classroom level by sub trainers, with backstopping from the regional trainers.
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There will be a pre-evaluation and an evaluation at the end of each training session.
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At the end of the training, there will be a general restitution of the exercise to all the stakeholders. The results of this meeting will be incorperated into the monitoring and evaluation programme for the closure of training gaps.
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The creation of pilot centers at Regional levels for training the trainers will also go a long way to horn the efficiency of this process prior to its implementation in all schools across the country. Regional delegates, heads of institutions, and the pedagogic inspectors of pilot centers will be involved in the training at the regional levels.
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Since climate change issues and adaptation are dynamic realities, it would be imperative for experts on the subject to organize workshops and seminars that will involve all the stakeholders (Pedagogic Inspectors, NGOs, Researchers, etc.) to keep them informed on current issues about this subject.
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Experts on the subject should equally participate in all stages of the integration process.
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Finally, there will be a systematic follow up and reporting of the classroom teachers by their individual inspectorates.
From the Regional Inspector office of Pedagogy
On the 20th of January 2012, at about 10:00 am, after analyzing the existing situation on climate change and adaptation in secondary schools, the General Inspector of Pedagogy for Human Sciences (GIP/HS) - Mr. Michel Block - and his collaborator -Mrs.Ngo’o Minna Adele were met for further consultations on the possible strategies of integrating climate change and adaptation into the curricula. The outcome of this meeting was that two feasible strategies for mainstreaming climate change and adaptation into the secondary educational system in Cameroon were proposed.
The first strategy is as follows;
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The overall practical method by insertion (that means enriching existing related subjects).
This method de-emphasizes any possibility of creating any new discipline or course with the title “climate change and adaptation”, but rather, emphasizes the approach of ameliorating the course content of the identified “axes” (existing subjects with contents that contain aspects of climate change issues and adaptation). So, the subjects already identified for the Francophone and Anglophone secondary schools (Geography, Biology, Geology and Citizenship) should be considered for the enrichment as proposed in sections 4.2.2, and 4.4.2.
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In order to render this strategy of “insertion” more practicable and feasible, human, financial, and institutional readiness, become a sine qua non.
The human readiness can be met through capacity building (training of trainers).The trainees shall be the Pedagogic Inspectors of Studies (PIS) while the trainers shall be consultants (specialists/experts on climate change issues from universities, research institutions, and NGOs).
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The trainees will, in turn, be engaged in the production of pedagogic manuals and guides for their respective subjects, with the support of the experts. The developed guides will be used to guide the teachers of the related subjects on how to adequately disseminate and impart the knowledge in their various schools.
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In addition, consultants will could equally produce student manuals and hand books in order to facilitate the ability of students to imbibe the concepts of climate change and adaptation.
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The creation of pilot centers at Regional levels for training the trainers will also go a long way to horn the efficiency of this process prior to its implementation in all schools across the country. Regional delegates, heads of institutions, and the pedagogic inspectors of pilot centers will be involved in the training at the regional levels.
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Since climate change issues and adaptation are dynamic realities, it would be imperative for experts on the subject to organize workshops and seminars that will involve all the stakeholders (Pedagogic Inspectors, NGOs, Researchers, etc.) to keep them informed on current issues about this subject.
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Experts on the subject will equally participate in all stages of the integration process.
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Institutionally, the CGCEB and the BACC Boards could be influenced by the offices of pedagogy for each subject to ensure that examination questions on climate change and adaptation appear in their Examinations, in order to ensure that the process of teaching and studying the concept is taken seriously.
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The feasibility of ameliorating the existing courses and mainstreaming them is timely because programs of all subjects are presently under revision (March 2011 and March 2012) aimed at producing separate teaching and examination syllabi.
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Consequently the process of insertion of concepts that will enrich the dissemination of climate change and adaptation at the secondary level can be met within a very short time (probably within 2012) if immediate action is taken on this matter as it may in due course be difficult if not impossible to modify the syllabi when it has been approved after the current revision exercise.
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To conclude, it will be proper for MINEPDED to contact MINESEC as soon as possible and indicate their intention on this issue and with evidence of support (human, financial, etc.) in order to ensure that the insertion is carried out in March 2012 when the last phase of revision of the syllabi by MINESEC and the Examination Boards will hold.
The second strategy from the office of the National Inspector of Education is as follows:
Following a concertation meeting on 23rd January 2012, with the Inspecteur General d”Enseignement (IGE) of MINESEC (Mme Evelyne Mpoudi Ngolle), who was accompanied by one of the National Pedagogic Inspectors (NPI) Mr. Ekollo Sono, the various options of integrating climate change and adaptation into the curricula were discussed and the outcome was that it is impossible to introduction climate change issues and adaptation as an independent discipline into the curriculum of secondary education. The main reason for this impossibility was that the secondary school curriculum is already overloaded with independent subjects.
However, considering the importance of climate change issues and adaptation on both the national and international scenes, its concepts can be effectively mainstreamed into the curricula through the well known and tested method of “insertion” which could either be “total”, “partial” or “addition”.
A summary of step by step approach of implementing the insertion method proposed is as follows:
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Firstly, an Inter-ministerial (MINEPDED-MINESEC) consensus that is catalysed by either the UNDP or UNESCO has to be attained.
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Secondly, experts in the domain of climate change have to identify the four carrier subjects, which this study has identified as; Geography, Biology, and Geology, and Education Citoyene et Morale.
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Thirdly, the experts will propose the course modules and content to be inserted. For this study the contents of the courses/modules have been proposed in Table.10 of this report.
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Fourthly, the National Inspectors of Teaching and Pedagogy will be trained by experts in the domain of climate change in a process of training of trainers through seminars and workshops.
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The National Inspectors will in turn train the Regional Inspectors, who will in turn train the teachers of the carrier subjects.
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To fine tune this step, the Pedagogic Inspectors will produce feasible pedagogic tools, lesson plans, and approaches that shall be implemented by the teachers.
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Better still, to reinforce the phase of capacity building (training of trainers), pilot training canters will be instituted at the regional level, where trainers (experts) will periodically train the trainees on the subject matter.
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An important aspect of the training (through workshops/seminars) which is a dynamic process is its cost because it is a function of the anticipated number of participants, where the workshops shall take place, the logistics needed for the training, etc.
Footnote: The sequence of events in this second approach of the strategy is very similar to that of the first strategy presented earlier.
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