Principals’ Leadership Needs for Effective Management of Secondary Schools in Meme and Fako Divisions of Cameroon

The purpose of this study was to assess principals’ leadership needs for the effective management of secondary schools in Meme and Fako Divisions in Cameroon by examining their professional, instructional, and communication skills. The study population consisted of 175 teachers, 31 department heads, 26 unit heads, and 16 principals from 12 schools. The findings revealed that continuous professional training and retraining, instructional supervision, effective communication, and creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning were vital to principals’ effective management of schools. Based on these findings, provisions should be made for the continuous professional training and retraining of principals; principals should frequently carry out instructional supervision and also make use of vertical and horizontal communication to clearly communicate school goals. RésuméL’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer les besoins en leadership des directeurs d’école de la Meme et du Fako au Cameroun en examinant les habiletés professionnelles, pédagogiques et communicationnelles des directeurs pour assurer une gestion optimale des écoles secondaires dans ces deux départements. La population de cette étude comprend 175 enseignants, 31 chefs de département, 26 chefs d’unité et 16 directeurs dans 12 écoles. Les données ont montré qu’une formation et un recyclage professionnels réguliers, une supervision pédagogique attentionnée, une communication efficace, et la création d’un environnement positif pour l’enseignement et l’apprentissage sont essentiels pour assurer la bonne gestion d’une école par son directeur. D’après les données, des mesures devraient être prises pour la formation et le recyclage professionnels réguliers des directeurs d’école; d’autre part, ces derniers devraient régulièrement assumer la supervision pédagogique, et ils devraient recourir à la communication verticale et horizontale pour transmettre clairement les objectifs de l’école. Keywords / Mots clés :: principals’ leadership needs, effective school management, professional development, professional training and retraining, instructional leadership, school leadership / besoins en leadership des directeurs d’école, gestion efficace d’une école, développement professionnel, formation et recyclage professionnels, leadership pédagogique, leadership d’une école

PRINCIPALS’ TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND TEACHERS’ JOB SATISFACTION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MEME DIVISION OF CAMEROON

The study aims at finding out how principals’ inspirational motivation, idealized influence and organizational commitment affect teachers’ job satisfaction. A descriptive survey was employed on a population of secondary school teachers in Kumba II Municipality in Meme Division of Cameroon. Four schools were selected to represent government, confessional, and lay private. A sample size of 100 teachers was obtained through convenient sampling. Percentages and frequencies were used for describing study participants and their responses, while an Anova was used to verify the hypotheses of the study at 0.05 level of significance with the use of SPSS version 22.0. The findings revealed that there exist a significant positive relationship between principals’ inspirational motivation and teachers’ job satisfaction. Principals’ inspirational motivation has an effect on teachers’ job satisfaction in secondary schools. The findings further revealed that a significant positive relation exists between idealized influence and teachers’ job satisfaction. Principals’ idealized influence also has an effect on teachers’ job satisfaction. Lastly, principals’ organizational commitment has a significant positive effect on teachers’ job satisfaction. Therefore, principals’ transformational leadership skills leads to an increase in teachers’ job satisfaction in secondary schools in Kumba II Municipality.  Article visualizations

Risks Management Application in Helping the Poor Through Microfinancing

Poverty alleviation in Buea, Cameroon, has been a problem of concern for decades. The study is vital because managers who control the funds given to the government of Cameroon to help reduce poverty are politicians and do not equitably distribute the funds to all on the pretext that the default rate is high. The purpose of this study was to find better ways to make additional capital available to the microbusiness owners of Buea to open or improve businesses. This qualitative case study design was consistent with the aim of understanding the importance of risk management within the microfinance industry and the risks involved in getting loans and paying them back. The key research question concerned how the microbusiness owners of Buea can obtain additional capital to open new businesses or improve existing businesses. The conceptual framework for this study was Rostow\u27s theory of modernization. Twenty purposively sampled loan officers, bank managers, government officials, and microbusiness owners in Buea were interviewed. Six participants from the population also participated in a focus group. Study findings suggest it is possible for microbusiness owners in Buea to get microloans and start or improve businesses with the use of land titles as collateral or family members as cosigners. The government of Cameroon could improve the financial stability of microbusinesses by facilitating the issuance of land titles or certificates, which are acceptable forms of collateral. This study may contribute to positive social change by improving the financial stability of microbusinesses in Cameroon, and possibly in other socially similar countries

E-learning Skills’ Impact on Teachers’ Performance in Higher Technical Teachers’ Training College of the University of Buea, Cameroon

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of E-learning skills on the performance of teachers in HTTTC Kumba. It was hypothesized that E-learning skills have no significant effect on teachers’ performance in HTTTC Kumba. A sample of 42 respondents was obtained by multistage sampling and administered a questionnaire to. The data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages for descriptive statistics, while the Chi-Square Test was used for testing the hypothesis. The results revealed that teachers in HTTTC Kumba are aware of E-learning and E-learning tools and are also of the opinion that the use of E-learning tools can improve performance, but they do not use E-learning platforms, nor do they believe that their students are better at E-learning platforms than in their traditional classrooms. It was recommended that education stakeholders should put all hands on deck to ensure a smooth integration of E-learning tools into the classroom

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE SOCIO-EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH SEVERE DEAFNESS IN SOME MAINSTREAM AND SPECIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE SOUTH WEST AND NORTH WEST REGIONS OF CAMEROON

This paper reports a study that was carried out to investigate, in a comparative perspective, the Socio-educational experiences of individuals living with severe deafness in some mainstream and special schools in the South West and North West regions of Cameroon. In this study, data was collected using questionnaires distributed to a purposively sampled population of students with deafness (No=30), 15 from mainstream and 15 from special schools. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and the Pearson chi square to measure significant differences and similarities. Findings were highly diversified. Generally, the bulk of the students in both types of institutional placements were positive about their socio-educational experiences. Comparatively, findings in mainstream schools reveal that majority of the students do not benefit equal level of socio-educational experiential support like their non-disabled peers and peers with other categories of disabilities. Their socio educational experiences include limitation in: interaction with teachers; provision of visual resources; classroom communication strategies and peer acceptance. In contrast, their counterparts placed in special schools benefit from all such socio-educational experiential supports. On the other hand, learning and academic achievement of students with deafness were the same in both types of schools. In conclusion, the study suggests that school stakeholders should embark on the least restrictive environment placement that will promote the socio-educational experiences necessary for effective schooling and learning of all students living with severe deafness. Article visualizations

Expansion Policy of Secondary Technical Education as A Correlate to the Acquisition of Basic Technical Skills by Students in Cameroon

This study is aims at investigating the relationship between the expansion of secondary Technical Education on the acquisition of technical skills by students.  Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been expanding quantitatively yearly without paying enough attention to its adverse effect on quality and the acquisition of the essential practical skills required by students in Cameroon. This study was guided by three research questions and hypotheses.  The sample was 40 Secondary technical colleges and 20 High schools spread in the Center, Extreme North, Littoral, North West and South West Regions of Cameroon. This included 60 Regional Pedagogic Inspectors, 60 Principals and 300 Teachers in the sector who were retained through a simple random sampling technique. Each grouping filled a structured questionnaire that was designed based on a 4-point Rikert Scale for data collection. The data was analysed using the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient.  The findings revealed that: the expansion policy of technical education has significant implications on the attainment of the fundamental objectives of this type of education; the expansion of secondary technical education has a significant impact on the quality of technical education provided by the Cameroon government; that infrastructure is grossly inadequate to enhance the acquisition of technical skills as observed in most of Cameroon’s technical colleges, thus defeating the original objectives to facilitate the development of technical skills.  It was recommended that the government should put a hold on the expansion policy for a period of twenty years and explore strategies and best practice on how to invest in the existing situation with ample provision for infrastructural development, material and human resources required by this sector. Keywords: TVET, practical skills, expansion policy, infrastructure, implementation, implication and correlate

ASSESSMENT AND THE ATTAINMENT OF STUDENTS’ LEARNING OUTCOMES IN TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES IN FAKO AND MEME DIVISIONS, CAMEROON

The focus of this paper is on assessment for learning – formative assessment and assessment of learning – summative assessment. The study was conducted by the use of a descriptive survey research design, specifically the cross-sectional quantitative approach. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire designed for student-teachers in training and an evaluation form for student-teachers on teaching practice for Teachers Grade One certificate examination (CAPIEM). The overall percentages of the 6 items on Formative assessment indicated that a large majority of participants’ opinions (92.3%) were for the fact that formative assessment has an influence on student-teachers’ learning outcomes. Also, a large majority (93%) of the respondents agree that formative assessment monitors their progress and enables them demonstrate and apply the skills and knowledge acquired, while 7% were contrary to the idea. Equally, participants largely agreed that summative assessment play a major role on attaining student-teachers’ learning outcomes. Analysis of the 6 items revealed an overall percentage of 91.7% of respondent were largely of the opinion that summative assessment has an influence on student-teachers’ learning outcomes. For example, 91% of the students agreed that the ability of the teacher to test them at the end of the unit, course or programme provided them with the opportunities to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and attitudes that provided evidence that learning has occurred. The findings generally revealed that assessment for learning enhanced the learning outcomes of student-teachers. Student-teachers were able to demonstrate what they had learned in class during teaching practice sessions. Whereas assessment of learning describes the extent to which students have achieved the learning goals, including standards demonstration of what the student knows and can do.  Article visualizations

INTRODUCTION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY GENERAL SCHOOLS IN CAMEROON

Entrepreneurship education is a recent field in education. From a field mainly related to small business, it is extended towards the enhancement of students’ entrepreneurial attitudes and skills. This is mainly because of the complaints by employers in Cameroon that students who pass through the secondary general curriculum do not often possess the skills required by industries (Ndille, 2016) .It can support students in developing an independent and versatile mine. By growing the spirit of entrepreneurship they will be able to solve local problems and at the same time make a decent leaving in the process and by so doing help generate decent employment for themselves and others. Developing entrepreneurship competence among students requires the mastery of concepts by teachers and the political will by administrators (Solomon, 2007). This study was a descriptive survey research, designed to analyses the Introduction of Entrepreneurship Education in Public Secondary general Schools in Cameroon. This study worked with 100 respondents. These respondents will comprise of 20 school administrators and 80 teachers from public secondary general schools. This study had the following objectives: If secondary school teachers have had any training in entrepreneurship education, again what are the convictions of teachers towards implementing entrepreneurship education in secondary schools and finally what they might think will hinder the implementation of entrepreneurship education in secondary schools. This study found out that: Most teachers and school administrators have had no training in entrepreneurial education. Again despite the lack of training most of the teachers and school administrators are convince that entrepreneurship education will improve on their students survival abilities. And finally most of the respondents identified hindrances to the implementation of entrepreneurship education in secondary schools

The regulation of lung homeostasis and influenza-associated inflammation

Alveolar macrophages are the main cell population in the naïve airway and are held in a state of tight regulation by several suppressive mechanisms. One would expect them to display a regulatory phenotype but here we show that at homeostasis they express markers of alternative activation such as YM1 and mannose receptor (MR) but not resistin-like molecule (RELM)-α. We show also that these markers are differentially regulated during influenza infection on macrophage populations in the lungs and airways. We hypothesised that removing the suppressive effects of IL-10 using an IL-10R blocking antibody would alter alveolar macrophage phenotype and the immune response to influenza infection. We now demonstrate that IL-10R blockade does not significantly alter the phenotype of alveolar macrophages at homeostasis but does increase in their numbers and infiltrate of monocyte/macrophages and T cells into the airways during a subsequent influenza infection. Blockade of the interaction between the co-stimulatory molecule GITR and its ligand GITRL is beneficial for disease outcome in mouse models of chronic lung inflammation; therefore we hypothesised that it may also abrogate influenza-associated immune pathology. We now show that GITR and GITRL are differentially expressed in the lungs and airways during influenza infection; however contrary to expectations, blockade of the interaction between the two accelerated influenza-induced weight loss and lung cellularity. This may indicate a novel regulatory role for GITRL in influenza-induced inflammation. This thesis shows that alveolar macrophages represent an atypical alternatively activated macrophage population, whose phenotype is not altered by IL-10R blockade. However, we show that prior IL-10R blockade can alter the immune response to subsequent influenza infection, and blockade of GITRL during influenza infection may be detrimental for the outcome of influenza infection