Policy Around the Teaching of English in Technical Education in Cameroon: Achievements, Issues, and Prospects From the Perspectives of Pedagogic Inspectors

Abstract

Examining the teaching and learning of English as a Second Official Language (ESOL) in Cameroon through language laws and other official documents (like the syllabi) in terms of their actual implementation is an important step in the development of ESOL education. Such investigations may contribute to the strengthening of the minority official languages and facilitate conversations on the current state of ESOL teaching and learning and on future strategies to improve its policy, especially in technical education, a field that has so far been grossly under-researched. Through interviews conducted with pedagogic inspectors, this study, unlike most studies mentioned above, investigates the ESOL education policy in place at the Ministry of Secondary Education and its implementation in technical education schools. The Ministry’s determination to improve its ESOL programs shows the positive potential in the ESOL management in French Cameroon’s technical education. However, new proactive approaches are needed in the future. One important recommendation made insistently was the need for an approach focused on reorienting ESOL programs and teacher training for technical education.