Capacity Building Of National Pedagogic Inspectors For Chemistry/Physics In Cameroon | Delphine Tabot, RPI

It was a Digital transformation in Chemistry & Physics Education Specifics, which unfolded through guided learning in the integration of visuals, like short educational videos and specifically PhET Interactive Simulations into STEM lessons. This training session, attended by ten National Pedagogic Inspectors for Chemistry and Physics in Cameroon, as well as one Regional Pedagogic Inspector, focused on the theme of "Chemistry and Physics Education in Cameroon" and was held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at the Center for Micro-Science Hall in Yaounde, Cameroon. This initiative is part of an ongoing drive by the Minister of Secondary Education on the Digitalization of the teaching, learning, and evaluation process. Hence, after a previous history of my online lessons with PhET simulations on the Ministry’s Distance Learning platform, as well as my previous experience in the training of Cameroonian teachers on Coursera, I was contacted by the National Inspectorate to carry out this training, geared at fostering the practical implementation of PhET Interactive Simulations into all the Cameroonian classrooms. This session’s objective aimed at Inspectors locating and interacting with PhET simulations and being able to find help and support for using the simulations. The Inspectors had the opportunity to explore the simulations and create their educators’ accounts, giving them access to the teaching resources that come with the simulations. Exploration was an interesting experience which gave them reasons to also expose the learners to carryout exploration tasks.

During the introductory phase, there was an interesting exchange on the approach to adopt when introducing each simulation to students in the classroom, based on the Inquiry-Based Approach, through exploration of the simulations, and also the reasons to integrate the simulations into Chemistry and Physics lessons. The Inspectors had the opportunity to demonstrate by themselves a use case in a Physics lesson, using the simulation "Bending Light", while considering the objectives of the lesson.

Note should be taken of the fact that an allusion to the use of simulations in the teaching, learning and evaluation of STEM subjects was made by referring to the fact that the use of sims is backed by research, and is related to the UNESCO-ICT framework. Also, making the use of the TPACK and SAMR Models enabled the trainees to see clearly the meaning and benefits of integrating PhET Interactive simulations into these physical science subjects, as compared to the traditional method of teaching these subjects without visuals like simulations.

At the end of the training, the Inspectors were able to integrate PhET simulations into lessons and make meaning out of them using the teaching resources, create learning materials using the PhET simulations, and download the simulations to use offline due to the downside of internet connectivity and fluctuation of electricity availability.

Given that Cameroon, being a bilingual country, has two distinct educational systems, the English Sub-System and the French Sub-System of education.

English Sub-System			French Sub-System
Classes		Exams	Classes		Exams
1st Cycle	Form 1 to Form 5	GCE Ordinary Level	1st Cycle	6eme to 3eme	BEPC
2nd Cycle	Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth	GCE Advanced Level	2nd Cycle	2nde to Tle	Probatoire Baccaleareate

In conclusion, the Inspectors solicited a full training on the Coursera platform to properly adapt themselves to the different methods of integrating the simulations into Chemistry and Physics lessons. Therefore, I see some bright light on the horizon of the educational path of Science and Mathematics teachers of all the secondary schools in Cameroon, even with the persistent challenges such as lack of infrastructure and motivation. I recommend that there should be persistence in the usage and continuous training for them to develop confidence in the use of the tools, and we shall get to the top someday.