Humphrey Monono up-beat about hitch-free GCE exams

Humphrey Monono

Despite the 9.6 percent increase in the number of students sitting for the 2015 session of the GCE exams, the registrar of the Cameroon GCE Board says the board is prepared to brave all the odds and publish the exams on time. He spoke to The Median recently in Bamenda. 

The GCE practical exams 2015 are ongoing and come June 1st, the written part will start. How prepared is the GCE Board for a hitch-free exams?

Traditionally, by this time the GCE Board has its practicals going on and over the years we have improved on our means of dispatching materials. We collaborate effectively with the superintendents, supervisors and coordinators of the practicals and so we have little or no hitch because the shortlist of the centers for practicals is made known to schools well ahead of time. And so if we have a hitch, it should not be a hitch of shortage of materials or hitch of people not knowing where to write their exams, or may be some other thing. But presently you know it and you can testify it; it is hitch free so far.


How many students are going in for the different exams?

This year, there has been a 9.6 percent increase in number of candidates. Last year we had One Hundred and Two Thousand candidates in all exams of the GCE Board. This year we are at 180.000 which is a geometric rise. Yet, despite the arithmetic progression in finances we still have to meet up with the challenges of the increased number of candidates.

Taking into consideration that some centers are in remote areas, what has the Board done to ensure that material is served them on time?

Those centers know when and how they are to be served and it is not something that we have to be shouting about because we have bad roads. NO. We have been given a challenge. Our students and teachers are there and all Cameroonians should write the exams at the same time. It gave me wonderful satisfaction in Mbessa when I took the challenge to visit some centers when there was war there. I was satisfied to learn that the exams started at the same time they started all over Cameroon. 8.00a.m for the morning paper and 2pm for the afternoon paper; same thing with Balikumbat and the Extreme North. So it warms my heart to know that not only are the candidates themselves prepared, but every other stakeholder is prepared, be they transporters, military men or who ever, i duff my heart to them and still count on their effective cooperation.

When will marking start and when will the results be published?

We will respect the normal calendar. Marking should begin two weeks after the written part. It therefore means that by the end of June they should have started marking and by July 12 marking should be over to give time for us to hold all the meetings and standardize our visions and missions. The results should be out before July runs out as has always been the tradition. We hope to stand by that challenge and meet with the challenge.