CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0. Introduction

 The competence based approach allows students to advance based on their ability to master a skill or competency at their own pace regardless of the environment. This method is tailored to meet different learning abilities and can lead to more efficient student outcomes. This approach requires students to know how to get information, how to process it and how to use it at any time.  Its aim is to provide learners with skills which can facilitate their thinking and in order to develop new ways of solving   personal and professional problems. This approach has six main principles which if welled followed by teachers and effectively put into practice; much may be achieved in one way or the other.

 The Competence Based Approach (CBA) has gained grounds in the academic world. In fact, it is no longer vague to teach with the purpose of restoring knowledge and applying isolated know-how. It is rather mandatory that learners are confronted with problem situations which they need to solve. Through this approach the learner will not only acquire knowledge but also use it in a meaningful way in various situations of life, work and family, social and even professional situations. This reform has brought about profound changes in teaching practices as the teacher becomes a true mediator between the learner and the knowledge. In order to achieve this competence objective, secondary schools in Cameroon chose, after the experience of programs by content and objective, to follow the path of the CBA. This switch is important as it raises a crucial concern on whether or not teachers are trained to adjust to the demands of the new dispensation. It is on the basis of this doubt that the researcher deemed it necessary to find out whether there is effective utilization or application of the competence based approach in secondary schools in Cameroon especially within the Bamenda III municipality.

1.2   Background of the study

Steven Hodge (2007), attempted to trace the origins of competency-based training and indeed discovered that, the United States of America was prominent during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Within that date frame, public debate and government initiatives centered on the widely held view that there was a problem with the quality of education in the country (that is United States). One of the responses to the crisis was the performance-based teacher education movement which synthesized the theory of education that became known as competency-based training. The new innovative approach (NIA) was highly contested by educators whether it is the best approach for this era but finally the recognition of the new approach was in response to educational crisis in the country United States of America. Today, CBA is widely accepted and utilized in many countries of the world such as Algeria, Australia and Tanzania. CBA was first used in the 1960s in the context of performance-based education whose purpose was to train specialist, who can compete in the world market (Berkerlie et al., 2007). Competence-Based approach (CBA) is a tendency which came into being in sixties.

 Nowadays there are a lot of definitions of CBA. Foundation of Excellence in Education explains it as “a system of instruction where students advance to higher levels of learning when they demonstrate mastery of concepts and skills – regardless of time, place, or pace”. In fact, there was a shift in the implementation of a competence-based approach in historical perspective. Several decades ago it could be really a kind of to-do-list as well as the main idea of education was concentrated on students with narrow disciplinary knowledge. The student was just supposed to be aware of the exact field of knowledge, i.e. the key concept of education was to learn by heart the necessary information while now it is necessary to know how to get the information, how to process it, what is the best way to use it. Today, there are different interpretations of the concept of “competence approach”, but they are all aimed at providing learners with skills which can facilitate their thinking and in order to develop new ways of solving personal and professional problems.

In Africa, competency-based approach was introduced in French speaking Africa countries in 1996 during the Conference of Ministers of Education in Yaoundé. After analyzing the introduction and implementation of the new curricula for primary schools based on CBA, these ministers realized that CBA was the most relevant method to enhance African education. They focus on the Mauritanian primary schools and obtained similar results as in many other African countries but these ministers realize that the greatest problem lay in implementing the curricula. The teachers faced difficulties as context of general poverty, insufficient and inadequate didactic materials and large class size amongst other all this make it difficult for teachers to create the situation needed for their lessons and individualizing instruction. They concluded that though CBA is a good approach for African schools the needs and realities of Africans are also to be taken into consideration for effective implementations of this approach.                  

Competence-based approach was introduced in Cameroon in July 2012. Cameroon’s Ministry of Basic Education had distinguished three main components of the competence to be taught: subject competence (knowledge), transversal competence (knowhow resulting from all the subjects in a child’s learning) and life competence resulting from the development of the right attitudes and behavior for real life situations. Mahamat (2011) cited by Nforbi (2014) studied the implementation of CBA in some primary schools in Kousseri, Far North Region of Cameroon.” He realized that the approach is not being implemented effectively due to its novelty in the educational system and the teacher’s apathy about the new visions and competences”. The decree of President of Cameroon “On measures for priority development of education in Cameroon ” dated by 2001 determined the number of measures for introduction the regulations in Cameroon based on competence, aimed at coordinating the National system of education quality assurance with the general system of education Based on modern society requirements and the needs of learner so as to adapt to changing needs. The education quality assurance should be based on the formation such competencies and skills in future specialists that enable to use practically knowledge and skills for the benefit of all Cameroonians that creating job makers not job seekers.

The President of The Republic of Cameroon His Excellency Paul Biya during his February 2001 message to the youth, called for embracing the competence based approach (République du Cameroun, 2001 In the National Standard System of Higher Education as well professional and teachers training institutions, the requirements and qualifications are clearly stated, the list of socially and professionally important knowledge, skills and competencies is provided, which are required from the graduate of high institution not only by the national labour market, but also by the Cameroonian Community. The National System of Qualifications should be the basis for the introduction of competence-based approach in teacher’ s education, including its components – the National and regional qualifications limits.

Concerning Cameroon, during the 1995 Educational Forum, when educational experts met in Yaoundé the capital city to discuss how the educational system in Cameroon could be improved upon, there was nothing mentioned about the use of real life aspect in the classroom especially in primary schools. The educational law No: 9/004 of 14 April 1998 does not make mention of in the primary school curriculum but as 2001 the education community had to embarrass competence-based approach so as to create job makers not job seekers. In His speech, he promised the introduction of competencies our schools and the equipment of computer rooms to schools. The consequence of the President speech was accelerated in 2015, with the introduction of competence-based approach in primary and in secondary in both general and technical secondary schools.

• National qualifications limits are implemented in order to:
• Introduction of Cameroon educational standards and principles of education quality assurance with the requirements of the job market competencies to professionals;
• Ensure harmonization of standards of legislation in the field of education and social, job relations;
• Promote national and international recognition of qualifications acquired in Cameroon;
• Establish the effective cooperation of sphere of educational services and the labour as well as job market. Knowledge acquire should be in Conformity of the quality of graduates‟ training of teachers training colleges with the requirements of standard of higher education is determined by social and personal, general scientific competencies, instrumental competencies and professional competencies.

The idea of competence-based approach in teaching was originated in the early 80th of the last century, the concept of CBA was published in an article known as minimum competency Perspectives. This was corroborated by Bernard et al (2007), who hold that most teachers continue to use the explanation methods and display poor mastery of the CBA method. In addition, large class sizes and insufficient didactic materials impede the individualization of instruction and evaluation seriously. Implementing competency- based approach (CBA) is an important issue in the Cameroon education system. Some of the teachers and students mainly those new on the field are not fully implementing the approach probably because they are unaware of its principles. The approach focuses on outputs rather than on inputs to learning. CBA addresses what learners are expected to do in a class situation, how learner can use acquired knowledge to solve real life situations.

It is in this light that we felt a need to investigate on how this approach is being effectively utilized in schools. The basic principle is that competences can be acquired from a variety of sources and can be assessed by persons other than the student’s current teachers, as long as it can be ascertained through memorandums of understanding and learning agreements that the learning outcomes and competence assessment methods correspond to the national qualification requirement. We believe that the best solution here lies in the sphere of combination of approaches, as far as the competence approach is a set of general principles for determining the goals of education, selecting the content of education, organization of the educational process, and evaluating of educational outcomes.

 In this approach, the focus is to enable learners to master the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for the world of employment and general life. According to Rogiers (2004), the CBA relies on three fundamental objectives: firstly, to emphasize the competencies that the student must master at the end of each school year and at the end of compulsory schooling, rather than stressing what the teacher must teach. Secondly, to organize the learning outcomes in the best way so as to bring their students to the level expected. Thirdly to entrust the responsibility for learning to the student who has to build his or her own knowledge through means made available by the teacher.

According to Boutin (2004), the student becomes a learner who must suggest ideas first, have the desire to know and learn, organize work using new technologies, assimilating new learning methods, and looking for new information. The new role of the teacher consists in encouraging the learners to acquire the knowledge, which must be facilitated but not mechanically transmitted, and entrusting the preparation of certain tasks to the students. In CBA, a teacher is supposed to switch from the role of an expert who transfers knowledge to a coaching role of facilitating and guiding the learning process (Biemans, Nieuwenhuis, Poell, Mulder & Wesselink, 2004). This means teachers using this approach encourage learners to be creative, ensure the planning and organization of activities, and suggest ideas without imposing them on the learners. The teacher is required to be active in supporting the learning process rather than transferring contents. According to Zineb, Soumia, Souad & Karim, (2017), in implementing the CBA, the teacher should use didactical approach that is based on the facilitation of active learning including group work, presentations and self-study. According to Anane, (2013), CBA demands a different approach to teaching and even assessment and certification.

 Conceptually, CBA is different from the traditional system. It is based on defined competency standards which are industry oriented. The education and training is more learner- centered. This means that more emphasis is placed on the learner’s role in the learning process than teacher-centered. Anane further highlights that the various facilitation methods that are employed for the CBA programs are direct instruction method, discussion method, small group method, problem solving method and that teachers acquire the knowledge of CBA through seminars, workshops and research.

1.2. Statement of the problem

I observed that after students finished their program in school they stilll lack skills. So that is why I decided to find out why after the implementation of the CBA in Cameroon students still lack so I came up with this topic the ” Appraisal of the Competence Based Approach and its level of effective Utilization in secondary schools in Bamenda III Sub-Division, Cameroon”.

1.3. Objectives of the study

The main objective of this study is to verify the appraisal of the competence based approach and its level of effective utilization in secondary schools   in Bamenda III subdivision, Cameroon.

Specifically, the study aimed at:

– To examine the extent in which teacher’s competence can influence the uses of competence based approach in school.

– To find out the extent in which the use of  didactic materials can influence the uses of the competence based approach in school.

– To verify to the extent in which classroom environment can influence the uses of the competence based approach in school.

1.4. Research questions

The following questions were stated to guide the study.

Main research question

– To what extend is the competence based approach utilised in secondary schools.

Specific research questions

– How can teacher’s competence influence the effective utilization of the competence based approach in school?

– How can the use of didactic materials influence the effective utilization of competence based approach in school?

– How can  classroom environment influence the effective utilization of the competence based approach in school?