Secondary Education: Prof Nalova Lyonga wins iconic award for landmark reforms.

Her award of Best Minister was made public at a recent award ceremony that took place at the Hilton Hotel in Yaounde. The event took place in the presence of the high and mighty viz; her colleagues members of government, leaders of civil society organisations, diplomats, traditional rulers and leaders in different sectors of national life among others.

The CENPA award for Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga is no easy achievement. It went through several vetting processes with a no-nonsense award jury having the final say. 

The award jury comprised Cameroon’s international lawyer and anti-corruption titan, Batonnier Akere Muna. He was assisted by the Paramount Ruler of the Bafaw and King of Kumba, Senator Nfon Mukete IV Ekoko, who served as jury secretary.

Civil society icon and international award-winning community developer, Esther Omam, who is Executive Director of the Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, Reach Out Cameroon, was member of the jury.

CENPA president, Ngah Christian, who doubles as Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of The Guardian Post, was also member of the jury that confirmed Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga’s massive achievements in government this far.

According to the jury, Prof Nalova Lyonga bagged Cameroon’s 2023 Best Minister Award: “In acclamation of her sterling pedagogic and first-class overhaul, professionalisation and alignment of Cameroon’s Secondary Education sector, to contemporary best practices”.

The pronouncement of the member of government as being the country’s best minister, left guests at the award event praising Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga. 

Those who lived the event described her recognition as not only fitting but equaling the ground she has covered in giving Secondary Education in Cameroon a fresh impetus. 

Applauds jury’s discernment 

Despite being unavoidably absent during the award event, Minister Nalova Lyonga wrote to the award jury to express her appreciation.

 In a letter dated August 5^th addressed to the President of the award jury, Barrister Akere Muna, Prof Nalova Lyonga stated that: “I am thoroughly overwhelmed by this great nomination…”.

She also thanked the jury for its “discernment of the work I do in the Ministry of Secondary Education”. 

The member of government justified her absence at the CENPA Award Night, saying on the day of the event proper, she was involved in back-to-back meetings with schools outside Yaounde.

Landmark reforms

To note that Cameroon’s Secondary Education sector has since 2018 been undergoing never-seen reforms that have continued to receive positive ratings across the board. 

The positive effect of the reforms across the education spectrum have been far-reaching, plus a special touch of credibility, especially in the conduct of exams.

At the centre of these reforms is erudite pedagogue and educationist of high standing, Prof Nalova Lyonga. 

She, many are saying, has given reason to the Head of State’s choice of having handed her such an important ministry, concerned with raising the next generation of Cameroonians.

Today, Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga is seen undisputedly as one of the outstanding shining lights in the current government, whose achievements make sense today and will remain preponderant in decades to come.

In clear and unwavering terms, Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga, an educational egghead for decades, has overhauled everything about Secondary Education in Cameroon. 

From setting schools on a path of hygiene, discipline to restoring the credibility of exams, putting tutors and school administrators in order to fighting corruption and easing teacher integration among others, Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga has remained towering and phenomenal.

One major strength of the composed, disciplined and workaholic Secondary Education boss is her power to face challenges head-on. She is serving as Secondary Education boss in the most challenging of times wherein, society has changed with drugs and other deviant behaviours threatening to thwart the destinies of thousands of young Cameroonians.

Unlike some public office holders, the Minister admits the challenges but through broad-based engagements with competent authorities, she has quietened the occasional hiccups that are threatening to derail her reform agenda.

When it comes to disciplining; be it a school administrator or tutor, her actions have been instant and straight forward. She is a member of government who praises collaborators when they perform their duties well and sanctions when the need arises. This, she does, to ensure harmony.

She has raised the bar in fighting the bane of drug consumption and abuse among students. It is thanks to the insistence of Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga that key stakeholders have teamed up rollback drug abuse and violence in schools. The fruits have been laudable.

Operation clean schools

One of Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga’s visible and undeniable effects on the educational landscape is that of the Clean School Concept. 

At the time she came in, there was no clear-cut roadmap for the Secondary Education sector that tie with contemporary issues of climate change, environmental protection and moral rearmament.

It is a concept that has instituted green spaces that enhance environmental protection. Within the same program, there is a moral renaissance drive in addition to putting in place facilities on campuses that attend to the needs of learners, such as modern toilets.

Thanks to Prof Nalova Lyonga, the Clean School Concept has become a national movement with stakeholders adjusting to what it entails. 

The gains have been enormous, with campuses free from infections that learners use to get in school. At the same time, students are aware of the shifts in the landscape brought about by climate change and required adaptive measures.

Upholding educational standards, exams credibility

Amid the heightened disruptive social effects on society that is threatening education, Prof Nalova Lyonga has been firm on upholding standards. Curricular have been adjusted to the changing times, especially for courses that relate to skills acquisition. 

As a patriarch in the nation’s educational evolution, Minister Prof   Nalova Lyonga has overcome moves from enemies of the Republic to discredit official exams. 

Resilient innovations amid insecurity 

Still in her catalogue of great achievements are measures that have sustained resilience, amid security threats in the North West and South West Regions.  The great improvement seen in student enrollment and performance in official examinations in the two restive Regions is credited to her decision to cluster students in such areas in learning centres. 

Within this concept, learners in crisis areas learn in a secure environment as a group and the results have been marveling.

Vast, unending digitalisation drive

Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga stands tall when it comes to using technology to boost education in Cameron. She has put in place distance learning within the scope of bringing essential knowledge to students. It served best when COVID-19 restricted gatherings.

The inspiring Secondary Education boss has also entrenched digital technology into the management of schools and the running of the Ministry of Secondary Education. 

Several aspects of school administration have gone purely digital. This has made it easy to handle data and take decisions in time in the interest of learners.

Parents and guardians alike remain endeared to this woman of integrity for going fully digital with the payment of fees and examination registration. 

The decision has ended the era wherein school administrators used to pocket public money and frustrate thousands of students. 

Still within this sphere, Prof Nalova Lyonga, a few days ago, unveiled a digital system that will henceforth see every student in Cameroon assigned a unique digital identification number. 

This will go into effect in the 2024/2025 academic year. It is a landmark reform that has been welcomed nationwide.

Order in management of Parent Teacher Association Fund

Another area of disaster that Prof Nalova Lyonga has put order in, is with respect to the management of the Parent Teacher Association, PTA, fund. 

The minister has ordered that such be paid into special bank accounts from where the money will be used to properly support government in running schools.

Skills Development Project 

Prof Nalova Lyonga is also credited with instituting the Skills Development Project within the Secondary Education sector. Through the program, learners acquire expertise that can help them build a career and easily fit into the job market.

It is a scheme which adds to her renewed interest in technical education wherein she has also stepped up its visibility. Aware of the dynamics of the job market, Prof Nalova Lyonga has been constant about her counsel for parents to embrace technical education. 

She has in the last few years increased the number of technical schools in the country. The minister has also redirected huge funds into equipping technical schools to ease student training.

Implementation of Head of State’s directives on teachers’ concerns

Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga has in line with the directives of the Head of State, worked hard in ensuring that teachers get their arrears on time.  Besides putting an end to the system wherein fresh graduates were entitled to only two-thirds of their salaries, the minister has ensured the payment of at least 27 billion FCFA areas to teachers. It is in line with directives from President Biya to ensure students are properly taught.

Work in progress

Beyond the historic achievements, Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga, has not stopped working and contributing her quota to nation building. 

Other issues that remain preoccupying to her for which work is in progress abound.  Some of these are advancements, reclassification, family allowance among others.   

Putting her score sheet in perspective, many say and rightly so that Minister Prof Nalova Lyonga remains an unrivalled and silent supporter of the Head of State, President Paul Biya in nation building.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3197 of Monday August 12, 2024