Since the Cameroon nation came into being in 1961, it has been
engaged in efforts towards harmonizing two distinctly different
educational traditions it inherited from the colonial era, the
one, French-oriented, and the other, British-oriented, while at
the same time, working towards better quality schools. However,
the main thrust towards meeting these objectives thus far, has
been in primary education where two main separate and on-going
attempts at educational change are being undertaken in both
educational traditions in the country.
This research is based on case studies of these two experiences,
and attempts to provide a holistic appraisal of the strategies
adopted thus far, towards implementing change in Cameroon primary
education. The one experience, the Institut de P6dagogie
Appliquee sa vocation Rurale (IPAR) began in 1969, and is embodied
in two projects (IPAR-Yaounde and IPAR-Buea) which aim at the
harmonization and reform of Cameroon primary education, while the
other, the Support to Primary Education Project (SPEP), began in
1984, and aims at improvements in the training and support system
for primary school teachers in four of the country's ten provinces
(one anglophone, and three francophone). The IPAR projects have
not yet been implemented in schools, and by design the SPEP does
not directly involve schools. The appraisal of these experiences
comprises an analysis of their significance in Cameroon primary
educational change, and their organization, management and
accomplishments thus far.
Three broad perspectives of the concept of institutional
development or institutional analysis viz, the intra-, inter-, and
extra-institutional analytical perspectives, have been adopted as
the analytical framework for appraising the performance of these
projects, using an essentially illuminative methodology. In this
thesis, the concept of "institution" is used broadly to refer to
governmentwide administrative functions including such entities as
project management units, while "institutional development" or
"institutional analysis" concerns the organisation and management
of the various project systems, and the significance of these
experiences in Cameroon primary educational change.
The intra-institutional development perspective provides an
analysis of the resource allocation (personnel and material) and
management of the project unit, the inter-institutional
development perspective provides an examination of the influence
of other institutions in the administrative bureaucracy on the
performance of these projects, while the extra-institutional
development perspective provides an analysis of the pertinence of
project ideologies in relation to the broader aims of harmonizing
and reforming Cameroon primary education. In conclusion, problems
of implementing Cameroon educational change epitomized by the two
projects are highlighted and discussed, and suggestions made
towards thinking about existing and alternative strategies in
Cameroon educational change, in general.

background

Reflections on education and work

Implementing educational change in Cameroon : two case studies in primary education

Relevance Education, Strategies for Curriculum Change and Pilot Projects: A Cautionary Note

This paper deals with the discrepancy between the stated national curricular goals for vocational education in Norway regarding the teaching of “International co‐responsibility” values to students, and the failed strategy for implementation throughout the curriculum. The paper investigates possible reasons for the existence of negative attitudes towards immigrants and development aid among vocational students, male students in particular. It also describes some of the historical and sociological background of the vocational curriculum that pertains to these issues. The paper suggests there is an urgent need to support curriculum development in such a way that “International co‐responsibility” can be realised within a vocational learning context, and puts forward some ideas in this direction.

Reflections on education and work

Citations

Implementing educational change in Cameroon : two case studies in primary education

Relevance Education, Strategies for Curriculum Change and Pilot Projects: A Cautionary Note

Internationalising the Curriculum for Vocational Education: problems and possibilities

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