Cameroon, like much of sub-saharan Africa, is facing the prospect of educating and employing an unprecedentedly large generation of young people. According to the CIA World Factbook, 42 percent of the Cameroonian population is 14 years old or younger. Anthony Poon, a Cornell Ph.D. student studying information science, is working on test preparation technology initiatives to improve high school graduation rates in Cameroon.
“The baccalaureate exam is super critical to getting professional jobs and higher education,” Poon said, referring to the Cameroonian equivalent of a high school graduation exam.
Poon said he wanted to give students regular messages to motivate them to study during their unstructured study month between the end of high school and before the baccalaureate exam.
Practice multiple choice questions for the exam were sent a few times a week to students from the three schools participating in the initial pilot program. The goal of this system was to provide “study materials, a constant, regular reminder, and feedback on their scores,” Poon said.
Seven Cameroonian teachers, selected by the Cameroon Ministry of Secondary Education, volunteered to write the questions and were paid for their time, said Poon. Students could receive messages through SMS and Whatsapp platforms. With 80 percent of Cameroonians owning cell phones, the mobile platforms are an accessible, ubiquitous technology option.
Alongside collecting quantitative data about usage for his test preparation technology, Poon also conducted focus groups and surveys to gather qualitative data.
Poon worked with the Projet D’investissement En Capital Humain foundation, an NGO dedicated to supporting youth as they transition from school to work, according to their website. The PICHNET foundation partners with the Cameroon Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Youth Affairs. With a focus on education, it conducts surveys and interventions.
“We are surveying high school students as they graduate, looking at their aspirations and the social and risky behaviors that they engage in, and what they feel their future can be,” Poon said. The survey also included questions about technology usage that Poon developed.
Besides his test preparation program, other interventions have included vocational training and a summer program providing life planning, leadership training and technology training.
Despite potential security challenges, according to Poon, he is planning to continue his work in the capital region of Yaoundé.
Once the research from the pilot program is published, the data will be presented to stakeholders in the process, including the Ministry of Secondary Education. A larger scale intervention is planned to include 40 to 50 schools, up from the three which are currently participating. During this larger scale intervention, changes will affect the data collection process and will incorporate students’ feedback on the function of the quizzes. The quiz will be run over a longer period of time, starting during the school year to allow for teacher support.