Pedagogic Inspectors in the West Region Empowered on Inclusive Education
The “Quality Education for All” Project coordinated under the Empowerment and Disability Inclusive Development (EDID) Program of the CBC Health Services has empowered 24 Pedagogic Inspectors in the West Region of Cameroon. Organized under the theme “Mainstreaming Inclusion in Pedagogic Inspection Practices, the training aimed at enhancing the capacities of these Regional Pedagogic Inspectors for Inclusive Education.
The workshop from November 30 – December 1, 2020, at the Regional Delegation of Secondary Education in Bafoussam, was officially opened by Mr. Kouam Gaston, Sub Director of General Affairs, representing the Regional Delegate of Secondary Education in the West Region. He used the occasion to inform the Inspectors on the Cameroon National Law especially the 2010 Law on the Protection and the Promotion of the rights of people with disabilities. The partnership of the Delegation of Secondary Education with the CBC Health Services’ EDID program is to foster Inclusive Education in Lycee Classique Bafoussam and Government Bilingual High School in Bafoussam.
The training according to the Regional Delegate organized within the backdrop of the challenges that both teachers and students still face in their efforts to promote inclusion comes at the right time. He reminded the Inspectors that there exist knowledge gaps among school administrators, and the workshop is geared towards enhancing technical competence as a means of reforming the processes and make inclusive education effective. The workshop will help pave the way for necessary adjustments to be made to address the emerging needs of the teachers and learners, thereby contributing to their improvement in the performance of learners with disabilities in the two pilot schools. The advancement and success of inclusive education in the West Region the Delegate added depends more on how the ethos of schools and the education provided to all students will be implemented.
The Quality Education for All Initiative in Lycee Classique de Bafoussam and Government Bilingual High School Bafoussam started 2018 with support from the CBC Health Services and the Liliane Foundation. This is a milestone in ensuring inclusive, equitable, and quality education in the West Region. The Regional Education Administrator admits that it is their responsibility to continue and duplicate the initiative to other secondary schools in the region.
The Training imparted a lot on the Inspectors. The Communication Unit caught up with one of the participants Mr. Ali Eric Nfor, Regional Pedagogic Inspector of English in the West Region. “After attending this workshop, I have realized that we have been neglecting People with Disabilities (PWDs). We functioned as if they did not exist within our educational system. This seminar has been an eye-opener and we have been able to learn the things that we failed to do. With the quality of knowledge gained, I appreciate the Ministry of Secondary Education for signing this partnership with the CBC Health Services which has opened up the horizons for us to look at things in a better way. I laud the effort of the CBC Health Services for the groundbreaking humanitarian ventures that they are involved in. This helps us to embrace this and improve on our attitudes, and the environment which hitherto has been unfriendly to PWDs”. According to Mr. Ali policies in education will also be improved to include PWDs. After the training, the trainees pledged to use the knowledge gained to help these learners to valorize themselves and have their talents developed to improve their self-esteem. “The ultimate end of learning