Using Public Examinations to check Learning Deficits: Making a Case for System Assessment Reforms for Secondary Education in Cameroon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31150/ajshr.v2i5.489Keywords:
National assessment, Public examinations, Monitor and evaluating, learning outcomesAbstract
Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) underscores the critical need for monitoring and evaluating learning outcomes without prescribing an internationally-agreed methodology. While the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) SDG4 Data Book 2019 reported no data for student learning in lower secondary education for Cameroon, the Ministry of Secondary Education published statistics of public examinations which highlighted learning outcomes and quality. Whereas UIS uses results of national and international assessments, Cameroon relies on public examinations .With one-third of the time set to achieve the SDG4 already gone, this study explores the use of public examinations to monitor and evaluate learning outcomes in Cameroon. The study was steered by the question; can data from public examinations in Cameroon be aggregated to provide an assessment of the education system? Features consistent with national assessments and public examinations are reviewed. Data for the 2020 GCE Ordinary in Cameroon is presented as published by the examining board. Analyses of the data reveal the statistical vagueness and limitations of public examinations in secondary schools in Cameroon. The study asserts that public examinations in Cameroon do not provide the proximate determinants nor identify the correlates of achievements associated with learning outcomes. The findings posit that the extent of the learning crisis in Cameroon is largely unknown as the Ministry of Secondary Education does not have any systematic data on who is learning and who is not. The study cautions against the use of high-stakes testing to measure achievement levels. The study concludes that with no appropriate mechanism to measure learning outcomes, identify existing gaps and manage change, Cameroon will continue to fall well behind the universal benchmark for the completion of secondary education, the achievement of relevant and effective outcomes and the distribution of equitable education opportunities. The study recommends the creation of a permanent national assessment structure and an Education Management Information System (EMIS) that will provide a robust diagnostic of trends over time. It also recommends selective participation in cross-national assessment like PISA for Development as a strategy to develop capacity and benchmark a national system.
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