By Kate Bih
The results of the 2024 General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations in Cameroon were released July 24, revealing a 6.75 percent drop in the overall pass rate compared to last year.
This decline has sparked concerns and discussions among educators, students, and the public about the state of education in the country.
The Center Region emerged as the top-performing region in this year’s GCE exams. It boasted the highest number of students who registered and passed, with an overall pass rate of 71.52 percent.
In contrast, the Far North Region recorded the lowest pass rate, with only 50.89 percent of students successfully passing the exams. This result suggests the persistent educational challenges faced by students in the region facing the Boko Haram insurgency.
Despite ongoing conflict, the North West and South West regions managed to perform slightly above average, ranking fourth and sixth nationally.
These results indicate a resilience in these regions, even amid difficult circumstances.
A closer examination of the statistics reveals that mission-run schools achieved the best performances, followed by government schools.
However, external centers recorded the worst results, raising questions about the quality and effectiveness of education in these facilities.
As the nation grapples with the implications of these results, various opinions have emerged regarding the reasons behind the decline in performance.
Some have pointed to the rise of social media as a potential distraction for students.
Meanwhile, others argue that the outdated curriculum and teaching methods need urgent reform to better align with modern educational standards and students’ needs.
