1WWF Cameroon Programme Office

Cameroon Education ForSustainable Development Profile

2011 -2015

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Written byEkpe Inyang, WWF Cameroon

With contributions byYvette Mekemdem, WWF Cameroon

Picture creditCoverLycee Bilingue de Melong

TextWWF East Africa, WWF Coastal Forests Programme,Assembly of Youths for a Sustainable Environmentand Development (ASYOUSED)

Thank youA big thank you to the Ministry of Basic Education(MINEDUB), the Ministry of Secondary Education(MINESEC), and the Ministry of Environment, Protectionof Nature and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED)for the encouragement and support for WWF Cameroonto pilot this initiative in the country.

Special thanks to all the pilot schools –Government High School Loum, Government HighSchool Nyasoso, Government Bilingual High SchoolMuambong, Government Bilingual High School Bangem,Government Bilingual High School Melong, GovernmentTeacher Training College Nkongsamba, GovernmentTeacher Training College Bangem, Government SchoolMbulle, and Government School Nsoung – for theirsustained interest in ESD and relentless collaboration.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................52. HOW IT ALL STARTED ...........................................73. OUR FIRST CONCRETE STEPS ...............................94. WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR................. 165. LESSONS LEARNT ................................................. 196. THE WAY FORWARD ............................................ 20

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1. INTRODUCTION

UNESCO makes it categorically clear that today theeconomic growth model has led to environmentaldegradation, social injustice, and economic inequities andthat many education systems support such a model. Theadvice is that in order to live in a more sustainable world,there is a need to rethink the purpose of our educationsystems as well as what is learnt, what is tested, and howit is taught. It is indisputable that education is one ofseveral mechanisms available to governments andcommunities to bring about social transformation for thecreation of more stable, more equitable and more resilientsocieties.

Education, within an Education for SustainableDevelopment (ESD) framework, can address dif cultchanges and contemporary challenges—whetherenvironmental, social or economic, or whether they arelocal or global in scale. Aligning primary and secondaryschooling with the purpose of sustainability will help inthe creation of an environmentally robust, sociallyequitable and economically fair world, and ESD is ourhope for this type of world.

UNESCO further avers that ESD provides anopportunity for every human being to acquire qualityknowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shapea sustainable future. ESD involves including keysustainable development issues in teaching and learning,such as climate change, disaster risk reduction,biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction, andsustainable consumption.

ESD involves the use of participatory teaching andlearning methods that motivate and empower learners toshape their behaviour and take action for environmentalprotection and sustainable development. In other words, itimagining of future scenarios and making decisions

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collaboratively, thus learning their way towards a moresustainable future. To achieve this, it helps and motivatesleaners to view the world through a prism of ecological,societal, and economic problems and prospects, in orderto have a holistic understanding for informed decision-making or appropriate action.

Within the context of Cameroon, ESD, as seen byWorld Wide for Nature (WWF) Cameroon, is aimed atdeveloping in the citizens the kind of knowledge, valuesand skills that will enable them to make informed andecologically sensitive decisions in formulating andimplementing livelihood improvement and developmentstrategies, in order to contribute to the sustainabledevelopment of the country. Its specific objectives are to:

i) Include the perspectives of targeted local communitiesin ESD so as to guarantee their support for theimplementation of the initiatives in the pilot schools;

ii) Raise the level of environmental awareness of pilotschools and target communities so as to guarantee theircommitment to biodiversity conservation in particularand environmental protection in general;

iii) Transform ESD pilot schools into ESD model schoolsby achieving at least 75% implementation of the WholeSchool Approach (WSA), covering all the six thematicareas, as measured using the WSA AdoptionAssessment Tool;

iv) Integrate ESD into the national educational systemcharacterized by adequate and balanced coverage ofenvironmental and development issues in nationalcurriculums and syllabuses, and

v) Promote collaboration, networking and exchange of

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information and experiences among the ESD pilotschools.

2. HOW IT ALL STARTED

From 2007 to 2010, WWF Coastal Forests programme(WWF CFP) focused on the implementation ofEnvironmental Education (EE) based on a strategydeveloped during a workshop facilitated by Ekpe Inyangwho was then the programme’s EE Officer.

Targeting a total of sixty schools (20 in KorupNational Park area, 20 in Mount Cameroon National Parkarea and 20 in the Bakossi Landscape), EE was restrictedto working with Nature Clubs in the secondary schoolsand targeted entire schools in the primary section.

During this period, Ekpe opened communicationwith Gunilla Elsasser who was in charge of ESD in WWFSweden. At some point, Gunilla proposed for Ekpe tochange from EE to ESD, a more holistic approach thatwas already gaining currency in many countries.

The opportunity for this change came after Ekpewas invited to an ESD workshop in Uganda in 2010.

Ekpeparticipatedin an ESDworkshopin Ugandain 2010 togain theEastAfricanESDexperience

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During the workshop, Ekpe observed that ESD was,indeed, a more effective approach in contributing not onlyto conservation but sustainable development. He engagedGunilla in a discussion on how to introduce this approachto Cameroon with the necessary support that would makeit work.

Finally, ESD was launched in Cameroon during anational sensitization workshop that took place inYaounde on 18th and 19th of April 2011. The workshopwas facilitated by Ekpe, with Gunilla, Per Sund, andStaffan Svanberg of WWF Sweden and ZipporahMusyoki of WWF Kenya as resource persons.

The workshop brought together participants fromfour Ministries, namely Ministry of Environment andNature Protection (MINEP) [now Ministry ofEnvironment, Protection of Nature and SustainableDevelopment (MINEPDED)], Ministry of Forestry andWildlife (MINFOF), Ministry of Basic Education(MINEDUB), and Ministry of Secondary Education(MINESEC). Participants were exposed to various aspectsof ESD: ESD principles and methodologies, ESD policydevelopment process, and experiences from East Africa.

Gunillaengagedparticipantsin discussionduring thenationallaunching ofESD inYaounde towinGovernmentsupport

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All WWF Cameroon’s Programme Managers andtheir key programme staff, as well as the thenConservation Director, National Director, and theRegional Representative participated actively during theworkshop. The workshop, which ended with the readingof a communique that demonstrated Government’sacceptance of and commitment to the ESD initiative,served as a source of energy for WWF Cameroon to movethe process forward.

With enormous support from Gunilla, a lot of timewas dedicated to fundraising to ensure effective fieldimplementation of the initiative. Nine pilot schools(Government High School Nyasoso, GovernmentBilingual High School Muambong, Government BilingualHigh School Bangem, Government Bilingual High SchoolMelong, Government High School Loum, TeacherTraining College Bangem, Teacher Training College[ENIEG] Nkongsamba, Government School Mbulle, andGovernment School [EP] Nsoung), selected on the basisof their proximity to protected areas managed by WWFCoastal Forests Programme, were launched to kick-startfield ESD activities in January 2012. It is important tonote that, for logistical reasons, the number has beenreduced from nine to five.

3. OUR FIRST CONCRETE STEPS

3.1 Capacity BuildingCapacity building efforts began in 2011 in Limbe when,with the help of two WWF Sweden consultants Staffanand Nils Carlsson, a local Core Team of Trainers (ESDTeacher Coordinators, Divisional Delegates of Primaryand Secondary Education, and School Inspectors ofPrimary Schools) whose areas of jurisdiction lie withinthe WWF CFP area were introduced to ESD concepts and

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Training of aCore Team ofTrainers in ESDfor assuredreplication andsustainability ofthe initiative

methodologies, as well as green entrepreneurship andbusiness planning.

In 2012, Staffan introduced the pilot schools toLocally Relevant Themes (LORETs) and later in the yearEkpe moved the process forward by working moreintensively with the schools to develop the early drafts oftheir LORETs.

In late 2012, a staff of WWF Sweden, GermundSellgren, introduced the schools to the Whole SchoolApproach (WSA) and in 2013 Ekpe reinforced thetraining and went further to train the local Core Team ofTrainers in entrepreneurship and business planning,resulting in the development of the first business andannual plans for the pilot schools.

In mid-2013 another consultant of WWF Sweden,Mathias Demetriades, introduced a new angle to our ESDapproach by placing emphasis on the development ofcritical and analytical thinking skills for informedconclusions and decision-making, breaking of stereotypesfor multi-cultural awareness and respect, and promotionof democracy and human rights for guaranteed equity,

peace, and security. The academic year was rounded offwith another elaborate workshop on ESD principles andpractice by Ekpe whose main aim was to adequatelyprepare the Core Team of Trainers to replicate the

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MINEDUB,MINESEC,MINFOF, andMINEPDEDrepresentativesin a policyworkshop inKribi toprepare somegroundworkfor ESD policydevelopment

training in the pilot schools following an agreed workcalendar.

In early 2014, the Pan African Institute forDevelopment – West Africa (PAID-WA) was contractedby WWF Cameroon to help the pilot schools in therevision of their business plans, which resulted in somepilot schools changing their business ideas completely totake advantage of new market trends.

In the later part of 2014, Staffan, together withEkpe, trained the Core Team of Trainers and the staff ofWWF Cameroon’s ESD implementing partner,ASYOUSED, in ESD principles and practice, theprocedure and techniques for developing LORETs, andsome teaching exercises. In 2015, Staffan further exposedASYOUSED to a wider range of teaching exercises aimedparticularly at helping learners develop action competencewhile Ekpe introduced them to basic conflictmanagement.

3.2 ESD Policy DevelopmentThe first ESD policy workshop took place in 2012 inKribi in the Ocean Division of the South Region. Thepurpose of the workshop was principally to exposestrategically selected representatives of MINEDUB,

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MINESEC, MINEPDED, and MINFOF to key results ofthe ESD initiative in Cameroon with a view to winningGovernment support in the development of favourablepolicies.

The second policy workshop, also held in Kribi,was in 2013. This workshop laid a more solid foundationfor the formulation of ESD policies in Cameroon. Itculminated in the publication of the ESD communiquedrafted during the national launching on CameroonTribune, the national newspaper, and in the issuance byMINEDUB and MINESEC of letters encouraging andauthorizing WWF Cameroon to carry on with theimplementation of ESD in the country. There wereaccompanying letters to Regional Delegates of Basic andSecondary Education, instructing them to lend their fullsupport to WWF in this initiative.

3.3 ESD Curriculum DevelopmentAfter the pilot schools had been supported to develop theearly drafts of their LORETs, national consultants wererecruited and trained by the WWF ESD team in 2013 tofurther develop the LORETs in collaboration with somekey staff of MINEDUB and MINESEC InspectoratesGeneral of Education. The LORETs were later validatedin a workshop in Yaounde involving ESD TeacherCoordinators of the pilot schools.

MINEDUB andMINESEC supportedto embark on ESD-oriented curriculumdevelopment

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The concept of Nationally Relevant Themes(NARETs) was presented to the consultants and IGEstaffs. These resource persons were then commissioned toconduct a nation-wide research on the environmental anddevelopment challenges of all the agro-ecological zonesof Cameroon. The data were used in the development ofNARETs for Basic and Secondary Education. TheNARETs, in turn, provided the basis for the developmentof ESD-oriented curriculums which were submitted byWWF Cameroon to MINEDUB and MINESEC forconsideration.

3.4 Support To ESD Pilot SchoolsMeaningful logistical support to the pilot schools began in2012, after the launching of the pilot schools, with schoolgreening – planting of flowers and trees – as the first setof ESD activities. In 2013, the emphasis was on the awardof scholarships to students and the development of eco-friendly income-generating activities (IGAs) at the pilotschools, notably poultry, piggery, organic farming, beefarming, and running of school canteens.

Poultry andpiggery aresome of theESD bestpractices ofpilot schoolsused toimproveteaching andto addresspoaching inlocalcommunities

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In that same year, 2013, pilot schools wereencouraged to set up Learners Participation Platforms,otherwise known as Student Governments, to ensurelearner participation in decision-making and other schoolaffairs, including monitoring of the IGAs. Pilot schoolswere also provided with Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP)latrines and gardening and sanitation equipment (wheelbarrows, spades, rakes, diggers, digging forks, wateringcans, dustbins, etc.) to promote health and sanitation, aswell as sustainable agriculture in the pilot schools.

In order to ensure effective implementation ofESD, the pilot schools were supplied with textbooks andteachers’ manuals on environment and ESD. The schoolswere encouraged to keep these books in their libraries andto make them accessible to teachers and students. ESDTeacher Coordinators were also equipped with computersand printers especially to facilitate reporting on ESDactivities.

There wasinspectionof VIPlatrines inthe ESDpilotsschools ofthe BakossiLandscapefor qualityassurance

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3.5 Development Of WWF Cameroon ESD StrategyDriven by the need to articulate and demonstrate the linkbetween ESD and conservation as WWF core business inCameroon, 2014 was also dedicated to the developmentof an ESD strategy for WWF Cameroon CountryProgramme Office (WWF CCPO). This document,scheduled for implementation from 2014 – 2020,highlights the role of various stakeholders in thepromotion of the ESD initiative and the contribution ofESD to conservation and sustainable development.

3.6 Partnership With The Civil Society And TheGovernmentTo ensure the sustainability of the ESD initiative inCameroon, there was a need for a national NGO to bebrought on board as an implementing partner. In 2014,therefore, WWF Cameroon signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) with ASYOUSED for the latter tohelp facilitate the implementation of ESD in Cameroonunder the supervision of WWF ESD team.

In 2015, WWF ESD team and selectedrepresentatives of MINEDUB and MINESEC draftedMoUs which were submitted to the ministries by WWFCameroon. This prepared the groundwork for morestrategic discussions on the need for MINEDUB andMINESEC, as ESD implementing partners, to enter intopartnerships with WWF Cameroon. Meanwhile in thesame year, WWF Cameroon succeeded in signing anMoU with MINEPDED, the national ESD coordinatingpartner.

3.7 Implementation Of ESD Research2015 marked the beginning of a more robust ESDresearch to assess the effectiveness of the initiative,evaluate its impact on the local communities, andascertain its contribution to conservation. This research

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was conducted by the WWF ESD team, with the pilotschools assisting in conducting household impact surveys.

Preliminary results of the research show that ESDbest practices are steadily being adopted by the localcommunities, and that some of these best practices haveprovided alternative sources of protein and income to theextent that poaching is reportedly reducing in the area.This reduction in poaching is possibly due to the fact thatsignificant energy is now absorbed away from the anti-conservation activity.

4. WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR

4.1 Teachers And Students Of Pilot Schools WithIncreased Interest In ESDTeachers, students and even community members havedemonstrated a lot of interest in ESD. Some teachersstarted teaching environmental and development issues,using the participatory teaching approach, even beforetheir schools’ LORETs were validated. In one of the pilotschools – Government Bilingual High School Melong - itwas thanks to a proposal by the students that teachersstarted teaching conservation and development issueseven before the early draft of their LORET was produced.

Students have also been taking a number ofinitiatives at their schools to promote ESD best practicesand have served as useful agents of communitysensitization and dissemination of the best practices tohouseholds. The result is that a good number ofhouseholds in some communities have not only adoptedthe ESD best practices for income-generation andenvironmental quality improvement but have contributedtime, labour and advice generously for the promotion ofsuch initiatives at the pilot schools.

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4.2 Pilot Schools Making Progress In Whole SchoolApproachThe five retained pilot schools are making somereasonable progress in their adoption of the WSA, withTeacher Training College Bangem taking the lead on anoverall achievement score of 33%, followed byGovernment School Nsoung and Government BilingualHigh School Melong with 29%, and Government TeacherTraining Collge Nkongsamba and Government HighSchool Nyasoso with 25%. The graphs below show theirspecific scores in the various WSA thematic areas.

4.3 ESD In National Curriculums And PublicExaminationsIn 2014, MINESEC integrated ESD into their nationalcurriculums of Secondary, Technical and TeacherTraining Institutions. In the same year, questions onconservation, environmental protection, and sustainabledevelopment appeared in the public examinations ofPrimary Schools, Secondary/High Schools, and TeacherTraining Colleges. This phenomenon would certainlyserve as an additional source of motivation to acceleratethe implementation of ESD throughout Cameroon. Below

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is a box containing some of the questions.

4.4 Partnership Agreements And Support Of ESD InPilot SchoolsWith support and coaching from the WWF CameroonESD team, ASYOUSED succeeded in signing MoUs withthree Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and twoCouncils (local Governments) to ensure communitysupport and participation in the implementation of ESD inthe pilot schools. The MoU signing also included theendorsement of action plans with roles and contributionsof each party clearly spelt out.

ASYOUSEDDirector (right)and thechairman of aPTA (middle)after signing anMoU in thepresence of theWWF ESDTeam Leader(left)

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5. LESSONS LEARNT

5.1 The thematic area of the WSA most readily adoptedby schools is the school estate. This is possibly sobecause of its school beautification potential and the factthat it provides some form of outdoor exercise as well asopportunities for the development of life skills forteachers and students.

5.2 Motivated Core Teams of Trainers is guarantee forthe effective implementation of ESD in schools. Theseteams need not only the knowledge and skills asprerequisites but also logistical support and the enablingenvironment to ensure their effective performance.

5.3 Working closely with education authorities also atRegional and National levels is critical to achievingnational policy support and curriculum re-orientation.These education authorities provide the compass thateffectively directs the initiative, the thermometer thatmeasures its effectiveness, and the enabling environmentthat supports its implementation.

5.4 To successfully implement ESD in schools, there is astrong need to work in rhythm with the school calendar.This means that planning of ESD activities should takecognizance of the school calendar in order to takeadvantage of relevant school events, avoid clashes withsome school important activities as well as schedulingactivities that are not implementable during holidays andperiods of examinations and teaching practice, in the caseof Teacher Training Colleges.

5.5 Irregular visits to schools, especially when teachers’and pupils’ motivation is high, can be a source offrustration. It is important to respect agreed work plans

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and timing of specific activities, as well as communicateeffectively with the pilot schools in order to avoidmisinterpretations and misconceptions that may breedconflicts in the future.

6. THE WAY FORWARD

6.1 Building The Capacity Of ASYOUSEDThis will include not only technical capacity based onmodules outlined in the WWF Cameroon ESD strategybut also institutional capacity to ensure the CSO’seffective management of the ESD process in and out ofthe pilot schools.

6.2 Supporting The Transformation Of Pilot SchoolsInto Model SchoolsBased on school-specific three-year action plans,ASYOUSED will provide logistical and technical supportto foster the development of the pilot schools into modelschools. Development into model schools meansachieving at least 75% in all the thematic areas of theWSA.

6.3 Signing Of MoUs With MINEDUB and MINESECWith some groundwork already laid, WWF Cameroonwill sign MoUs with MINEDUB and MINESEC formutual commitment to the promotion of ESD in thecountry through implementation of a joint action plan thatwill be elaborated.

6.4 Appointment Of Focal Points In MINEDUB,MINESEC, and MINEPDEDWWF Cameroon will coach and support ASYOUSED toadvocate for the appointment of Focal Points in thesepartner ministries. Serving as liaison between the

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ministries and WWF Cameroon as well as otherinternational stakeholders such as UNESCO, the role ofthe Focal Points is to facilitate communication andmanagement of ESD processes within the ministries.

6.5 Facilitating The Establishment Of An ESDSteering CommitteeWWF Cameroon will also coach and supportASYOUSED to facilitate the establishment of an ESDSteering Committee in Cameroon. This committee,consisting of representatives of the partner Ministries,including the Focal Points, will pilot the affairs of ESD inthe country, with MINEPDED as the coordinatingministry. The role of this committee will also include thedevelopment of national ESD policies and strategies.

6.6 Upscaling Of ESD To Regional And NationalLevelsWith the encouraging results at the local and nationallevels, WWF Cameroon will embark on a strategicextension of ESD to other programme areas in order toguarantee its achievement of sustained conservationresults.

To achieve nation-wide impacts, WWF Cameroonwill upscale ESD to the national level, to facilitate thedevelopment of national ESD policies and strategies. Theeffort will also include building the capacity of a nationalCore Team of Trainers in ESD concepts, principles, andpractices for dissemination throughout the nationalterritory. There will also be systematic improvements ofthe existing ESD-oriented curriculums and supportingpedagogic guides, as well as development andimplementation of the joint action plan.

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WWF Cameroon Country Programme OfficeTel: +237 222 21 70 84/83 or 222 00 77 03 or 677 50 00 35Fax: +237 222 21 70 85 or 222 21 42 40Email: hnjiforti@wwfcarpo.orgWebsite: http:/wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_office/cameroon

For more information contact Ekpe Inyang on:Tel: +237 677 10 47 90Email:ainyang@wwfcarpo.org/ainyang@yahoo.com

ESD was launchedin Cameroon by WWF on18 – 19 April 2011

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© 1986 Panda symbol WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund)® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark

Key Donor

WWF- Sweden/Swedish InternationalDevelopment Agency (SIDA)

ESD already has a goodnumber of national NGOsengaged in it, with over10,000 supporters inCameroon

+10,000ESD is currently beingimplemented by WWF in 3 ofthe 10 Regions of Cameroon

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WWF now supports 13ESD pilot schools toeventually develop intoESD model schools inCameroon

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