Rethinking How Schools Run as Cameroon’s Private Sector Expands.

For Lynne Yenwo, an infrastructure engineer working at the intersection of technology and education, these are not isolated issues. They are signs of a deeper structural gap in how schools are set up to operate.

Yenwo has spent the past several years working closely with Mike Denny International Institute of Excellence (MDIIE), where she developed a system designed to bring greater consistency to how the institution functions behind the scenes.

At the centre of that work is Simpala, a platform she implemented to bring together the school’s core operations. Rather than introducing separate tools for different tasks, the system connects everything from admissions and attendance to academic reporting and internal communication in one place.
In practical terms, this has changed how both staff and parents interact with the school. Reports are now shared through a digital portal, while teachers and administrators follow a more consistent structure when recording and accessing information.
According to those within the institution, the difference is noticeable.

“Before, a lot of our work depended on manual follow-ups and paper records,” said one staff member. “Now there is a clearer way of doing things. You know where information is, and you can rely on it.”

The shift has also affected how time is spent. Tasks that once required hours of compiling and cross-checking information can now be completed much more quickly, allowing staff to focus on teaching and planning rather than administrative backlogs.
What stands out, however, is not only efficiency, but continuity. As the school has grown, the system has continued to hold together without the same level of strain that often comes with expansion.

Education observers say this is where many institutions struggle.
“It is relatively easy to introduce technology,” said one consultant familiar with school operations in the region. “What is more difficult is making sure it continues to work as the school becomes larger and more complex. That is where many systems fall apart.”

Yenwo’s approach has drawn attention from other schools facing similar pressures. Some have begun studying aspects of the model, particularly the idea of building a single, connected system rather than relying on separate tools that do not always align.

Her perspective has been shaped in part by her background in engineering, where systems are expected to function consistently over time.
“When you look at how many schools operate, you start to see the same patterns,” she said. “Information is scattered, processes are repeated, and it becomes harder to maintain clarity as things grow. The aim was to simplify that and create something that works in a more organised way.”
As conversations around education continue to focus on access and outcomes, Yenwo’s work highlights another dimension – how institutions are structured internally, and how that affects their ability to function over the long term.

At a time when expectations around accountability and performance are increasing, systems like Simpala suggest a different way forward, one that places as much emphasis on how schools operate as on what they deliver.

For Yenwo, the work is still evolving, but the direction is clear.
“If the systems are not working, everything else becomes harder,” she said. “But when they are set up properly, it changes what a school is able to do.”