Academia in the University of Buea, UB, will no longer be same beginning the 2007/2008 academic year. The New University Governance Policies, as defined by the government of Cameroon, is taking a new dimension in academia across higher institutions in the country. UB is at the pole position and there is certainly no turning back. UB Vice-Chancellor, VC, Prof. Vincent Pryde Kehtinga Titanji and Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Teaching, Dr. Nalova Lyonga, simultaneously, explained to The Post how they intend to explore the content of the New University Governance Policies.

Classes effectively resumed in UB on Monday, October 15, for the 2007/2008 academic year. How will you describe the build up to that?

The build up has been prepared very carefully from April/May 2007, when we sent out the call for candidates to register in UB. We put in place a new format and computerised system for registration of students and for processing of application forms. We have also put in place a new format for orientation, including viewing a film entitled Welcome To UB.

The staff have worked very hard, academic staff in particular, to restructure our programmes in the new format that we are going to begin implementation this year. The development office has been working hard to repair and renovate classrooms and amphitheatres. Everybody is very busy and encouraged.

What is the New University Governance Policies in the six state universities all about?

It is a Higher Education reforms promulgated by the Head of State, President Paul Biya, during his message to the youths on February 11, 2007. It shows the new orientation that will be characterised by increased professionalism that will stress on vocational training and decentralisation of university management.

It will also emphasise on quality assurance and will require that programme delivery takes the format of BMP (Bachelors Masters PhD) or LMD (Licence Masters Doctorat). All of these reforms are aimed at increasing better correspondence between university training and the requirements of the job market.

This has the objective to produce varsity graduates who are capable of creating jobs for themselves and for animating the economy of the country.

Can you throw more light on the much-talked-about BMP and LMD system?

BMP is the original designation, while LMD is a translation of it. This is a reformulated Anglo-American higher education system, which had been adopted in Europe. The main features are that the universities will deliver only three academic degrees/cycles; Bachelors for three years with 180 credits, Masters for two years with 120 credits and PhD for three to five years with 180 credits.

It is more than just mathematics and programme format. Training will emphasise professionalism, whereas most of our degrees were academic, which encouraged critical and analytical thinking, gave the students a certain baggage of knowledge, within a particular field.

This will be conserved but we'll go further and introduce practical work, students' initiative in learning and emphasise the vocational and professional aspects of the training. For instance, a B.A student in Literature, will not only learn about Literature as we know it and all the tools a literary student is suppose to possess, but will be called upon to produce may be a play, a drama, a short novel, a story, as part of the training to show that he/she has not only understood how to analyse what exist but he/she is contributing to creating what is there.

This is more obvious in the science and technical fields, like training biologists, who would still be capable of observing, analysing, studying the living world but they will also learn about technology, which is the application of Biology to the production process. So that upon graduation, they will have both the intellectual/analytical skills that they have always had in the traditional programmes, but additional to this, they will be called to train and have applications so that they are complete.

What will be the level of professionalism vis-à-vis the courses and the timing?

It is throughout the programmes. We've chosen, after a lot of consultation, within the university community and across to introduce these programmes gradually. All the four thousand students, who are coming into UB for the 2007/2008 academic year to read for undergraduate qualifications will take courses in the BMP format.

I'm insisting on format and restraining myself of talking of new or old programmes. Knowledge, which is valid, is an acquired thing for humanity and it is inside the old or new formats. It will be progressive as the previous format is phased out. The new format is more intensive. A three-credit course in the former rendition was only about 45 hours; in the new rendition, it is 60 hours.

There is more opportunity of interaction between the learner and the teacher. The learner is called upon to take initiatives, which are then verified, marked and codified to the results. We're out to enable our students have a hands-on-experience, through certain strategies such as internships and more. When the student leaves the university, he/she should be almost ready for the job market.

The university is also very keen on increasing its staff strength. Where are you putting the stress, academia or administration?

Of course on academics! We are principally teachers, even if we are given responsibilities to manage. The Head of State in his decision, which has been made public and communicated to us by the Minister of Higher Education, has allocated 130 new positions to the University of Buea. We are very thankful for that.

80 of these positions are lectureships and 50 are graduate research teaching assistantships. The Minister of Higher Education has authorised us to fill in 14 vacancies, that were created regrettably by deaths and in some cases resignations. We are looking for very good PhD holders; in UB, we want to keep quality.

We are also going Distance Education. So, while there is also brain drain, we can tap the brains from a distance. We want to give our children the best while they are in Cameroon. UB is going to keep quality high on the list. We are going to increase contact hours and we want to make sure that the students are taught what we have promised to teach them. So, quality is number one.

Do you have the necessary infrastructure to accommodate your plans?

Infrastructure has been a continuing preoccupation of public, UB authorities, the ministry and the government. Since the university started, we have been permanently on a construction site. We have just completed the expansion of the library wing while a remote sensing station has been constructed.

We have plans to begin construction of a classroom block, a staff office block and the mega construction project of UB is the Faculty of Health Sciences, which the government has already made a commitment. Studies are advanced and before the year runs out, the caterpillars will be rolling.

What is your assessment of the Faculty of Health Sciences, which is already at the second batch?

The excitement remains. There are many specialties in a university, but medicine is special. The first batch has started up very well; despite the hitches they had at the beginning. They have completed the first semester to the satisfaction of the examiners and they are now completing the second semester. The incoming students will start with an orientation, which in their case will be a longer process. They will go through the general university orientation and then go through a specific orientation for health science students.

Give us an insight of the UB Stakeholders' Meeting billed for October 26.

It is an important innovation that we are bringing on board. It is a meeting bringing together the university, public authorities, private sector and the civil society. At this meeting, we're going to present our strategic plan and our syllabuses in the new format for the public to look at and tell us what improvements we can make. Those invited already have a copy of our strategic plans, so we are excited and waiting for that meeting.

Is there something in the back of your mine that the public is yet to know about in UB?

It can only be a call for the public to continue to support UB as they have done in the past. We all see ourselves as partners in this noble enterprise of bringing up our youths. We consider as privileged and thankful for the confidence placed on us by the public and the public authorities. We invite parents, well-wishers to support the students, us, to be able to have a peaceful, orderly academic year so that we can do the work ahead of us.