The Contribution of Five Télécentres Communautaires Polyvalents to Cameroon's Rural Secondary Education

In a bid to address weaknesses in its education system, in 2005 the Government of Cameroon adopted a strategy that introduced information technology into the school curriculum and established multipurpose community telecenters (télécentres communautaires polyvalents [TCPs]) to help overcome shortcomings such as a lack of educational materials in rural communities. In this study, we examine the self-reported academic performance of secondary school students interviewed in five of the thirty-four TCPs set up to date. We find that students who study hard and are motivated to learn generally acquire Internet skills in the TCPs. Among mid- and upper secondary students, the evidence further suggests that, beyond study effort, having access to the Internet gives students a performance edge. Nevertheless, being motivated to learn and spending long hours studying remain keys to academic success and outweigh any advantage that access to the Internet or computers may confer. Furthermore, there is some evidence suggesting that spending too much time at a TCP may thwart academic achievement. The government is to be commended for taking the initiative, but it is disappointing that so few TCPs have managed to fully function over a sustained period of time.