GCE, UB Examinations: Concern over commercialisation of results

Many students are unable to access results through phone companies that secured publication deals.

One of the most challenging moments in a student’s life is when they are unable to know their examination results. Many University of Buea, UB, students and candidates of the 2015 Cameroon General Certificate of Education, GCE examinations have been thrown into a trauma of suspense, confusion, stress and despair, following difficulties encountered in accessing results.

While the examination results have not been posted on campus, the University and GCE Board prioritised their publication through a mobile telecommunication network. The method has proven to be partially advantageous to students and candidates who are required to register and wait for sometime before having their results delivered to them through their mobile phones.

UB students are required to have 1,000 FCFA in their Mobile Money accounts before starting the procedure in order to have their results printed. But the experience has been a nightmare to most students and candidates who make requests or wait for results for days on end. For example, one SMS text message requesting for a GCE result costs 250 FCFA of airtime credit.

Mume S., a Level Two student, explained: “When repeated quests for results fail due to network problems, or when the company sends no feedback, the trauma is better imagined than experienced.” Nfor Vitalis, a 2015 GCE Advanced Level candidate, complained: “I wasn’t sent any SMS feedback (...) concerning my results, though I sent four text messages each time the company required my names, candidate and centre numbers. Even when I sent back the required information, I still could not get the results. Two days after publication, I finally saw my results in a newspaper.”

A staff in the Wouri Divisional Delegation of Secondary Education in Douala called on the GCE Board and UB authorities to be aware of the fact that being in suspense about one’s results days after their publication may be damaging to the psyche. She said money spent on airtime credit to access results was unfair.

“University and GCE registration fees officially mean that results will be delivered to candidates free. Exam results must be published simultaneously on campus and on other choice media to avoid prejudice,” she emphasised.