Edoovillage #2089 - Cameroon, Bamenda: Cho Ngafor Foundation

PROJECT TITLE: Enhancing learning
DURATION: 4 Years

BACKGROUND
Primary school education in Cameroon involves a lot of manual teaching methods which slows down cognitive learning processes of pupils such as blackboard writing, oral teaching which are gradually but definitely becoming obsolete. Primary educational quality in Cameroon, though above average is not yet at its best due to absence of better equipment and teaching and learning materials, especially when it comes to IT studies as a means of facilitating education.
Unfortunately, there is the inadequacy of investment in education and international development aid which impedes access to quality targets for education. The inability to manufacture computers in the country and high transport costs are few factors which come into play to make computer hardware unavailable to schools. Most schools in Cameroon cannot afford to buy computer sets and the few that own them, do not have enough for their pupils. In most schools, the ratio is 1 computer: 10 pupils. The pupils crowd around the machine, each eager to lay a little finger on the keyboard.
However, the plight can be resolved by providing or making a computer center which are more portable computers to enable children continue learning opportunities.

PROJECT SUMMARY
This project seeks to provide a learning and sccessable computer center in Bamenda in order to:
a. Complement and accompany traditional and conventional methods of interdisciplinary teaching and personal work such as using interactive educational language games, math calculation and even drawing which will make the pupils more attentive in class and help develop the retentive parts of their memories.
b. Provide equal access to IT learning as, each child would have personal access to their Pocket PCs and can use them at home. So each child will have equal chances and won’t be technological barriers based on social differences.
c. Enhance teaching of fundamental media competence through the incorporated use of the pocket PCs in class. Through continuous use of the pocket PCs, the pupils would indeed become little Pocket PC experts.
d. Establish a reference between learning at school and everyday life as, they would also develop interest in using the pocket PC applications pertaining to their curricula, during their spare time at home which will ease their understanding of taught subjects in school.

ACTIVITIES:
1. Transport and deliver the portable laptops PCs to the target center in Bamenda and instructing the head teacher. This is expected to incur low cost since Laptops are more portable than desktop computers and of lightweight.
2. Train primary school teacher of target classes on the general usage and how to access the various applications on the Lsptops as, the teachers have not had sufficient exposure to different IT tools suitable for their classes. Three training sessions would take place at the beginning of the academic year at the school premises at the end of which there would be an evaluation of their aptitude. The teachers would also have to know how to follow up their pupils’ educational progress through on their usage.
3. Train the pupils on the usage of the Laptops with the help of their already trained teachers. Since the population will benefit from the center and knowledge, follow up and monitoring of their individual performances will be easier and more customized to their special cognitive needs.

DELIVERABLE IMPACT
The integration of laptops in the day to day life of the children especially no that there are not schools hardship and instability that has caused many children to sat home will really be helpful. Education is sure to bring about these immediate impacts:
- Improvement of constructive and pupil centered methods of instruction which is sure to bring out the best performances in each pupil during class evaluation.
- Acquisition of other learning competencies apart from those of the traditional subjects. These competencies may include but are not limited to new language acquisition, drawing and design competencies, problem solving competencies.
- Facilitation of achievement of learning objectives for pupils especially those whose cognitive processes are slower, with the possibility of individually monitoring the acquisition of knowledge, skills on handling and execution of special tasks performed by such pupils until there is a marked improvement.
- Introduction of newer ways to learn conventional subjects as illustrated below:
a. Reading and Writing: writing and drawing up texts in class as well as in one’s spare time, spelling exercises to consolidate and secure the basic vocabulary, grammar exercises to train the tenses or the various parts of speech or of a sentence, reading of stories, texts, e-books and exercises in reading for gist.
b. Mathematics: working on factual examples, finding and taking down meaningful questions for examples, marking catchwords as a help for finding solutions, inventing new examples by changing numbers, exercises to practice theoretical formula.
c. Art: painting pictures and creating one’s own works of art with the help of the paint programme "Paint" and editing pictures creatively.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Since the laptops will serve as a compliment to conventional methods of teaching, there can be some complicated changes which its integration can bring about which have to be observed and evaluated.
The impact of the activities would be evaluated with these guiding questions:
1. Does the use of the laptop/ PC contribute to the realization of constructive and pupil centered methods of instruction?
2. What didactic changes does the introduction of the Enhanced learning computer center bring in the absence of the schools.
3. In what way does the Laptops PC affect the learning of pupils in and out of school especially no that there are not schools and many children are on holidays.
4. Does the use of Project PCs contribute to the acquisition of competence?
5. Are learning objectives better achieved by employing the Pocket PC?
These questions will be issued in the form of questionnaires for teachers and parents and informal interviews with the pupils.