The project Connect My School has improved teaching and learning in GBPS Bertoua.
Since the launching of the project in GBPS Bertoua 1&2, the head teachers and students don’t lack praises on the advantages of the tablets in the school.
Thanks to connect my school, the number of pupils in GBPS Bertoua 1&2 has risen compare to last year.
Sah Comfort, the Head Teacher Group 1“the number of pupils in this school this year has significantly increased as compared to last year thanks to the use of the tablets. This year, I already have more than 500 pupils, compared to 300 enrolled for the whole last year. During the the first week of classes this academic year, there were more than 300 as compared to last year accounts with 200 pupils for the first week last year. I also want to thank UNICEF for the construction of the gender sensitive inclusive latrine and the ongoing waterpoint project that have embellished and contributed to a healthy environment in school”
Ndiatapah Abraham, Head Teacher Group 2 “this year in group 2, the number of pupils enrolled has increased to 445 compared to about 408 last year. The number of absences has also reduced. All this is thanks to the connect-my-school project with the use of tablets. Children find it very interesting using tablets in their classrooms”.
The headmaster and head mistress also praise the use of the Tablets for its high percentage of success in promotion exams and official exams.
Sah Comfort “out of 107 pupils who sat for the official examinations, 101 passed. A percentage that is high as compared to last year results”
Nditapah Abraham “in the class of 90 students that I taught, 77 students passed as compared to last year which was 67”
Another improvement of Bertoua 1&2 thanks to Connect My School project is the fact that there is constant attendance and attention from the children during classes as there are all excited to touch and use the tablet.
On the same line, the teachers acknowledge with great enthusiasm the success of the tablet connect my school in their teaching process.
“Before the coming of the tablet, I used to have problem of content, it took me long time to actually have to prepare my lessons. But with the coming of the tablet, it has helped me a lot in the sense that I can easily carry research on a subject and get images from the lesson I am teaching. It makes the class interesting and the students really participates in class.”
“with populated classes like this one, class control is very difficult, but with the images you manage your class control very well. Even children are motivated to learn. And it goes in line with the new pedagogy which says we should bring the children into real life situation. The children really see what they want them to know rather than just imagining it. Thereby improving their understanding of a topic”
Through the tablet application, the pupils of GBPS Bertoua 1&2 are learning mathematics, French, spellings, sounds and word building with an auto evaluation of the answers. These successes can be explained because it contributes to the interaction between teachers and the children and an increase to the pupil’s participation in the classes which lead to an easy way for the children to assimilate the subject.
However, the school faces some difficulties when using the tablet such as the lack of security in safe keeping of the tablets, the absence of internet connection, the absence of electricity in Bertoua 1&2, also the tablets are not enough for the pupil.
From the above descriptions the initiative Connect My school has contributed to the well-being of the pupil and the school in general.
Connect my School is an initiative put in place by UNICEF to ensure quality education to all children by improving the teaching and learning process in schools with the digitalization of teaching through the use of tablets and also improve school environment both for the teachers and students.
By Camille Gillian Asanji Ufei, UNICEF Cameroon
