The common entrance examination is written yearly by primary school pupils vying to get into secondary schools.When I took it, primary school education was for a full seven year period.Although the exam is taking when you get to class seven, you start preparing for it by the time you get to class six.The exam compose of a section in Arithmetic and another in English language.There are two passing grades, List A for those that pass with honors and will attempt to get into the government secondary schools.List B passers seek for admission into private and mission secondary schools.There were then those that completely fail the examination.
By the time I took it, I was about twelve years of age and had been preparing for the exam for some time.We had teachers,like Mr Orum, who gave us free review evening classes from the time that we got into form six.There were books that you could also read to improve on your chances of passing the examination.I and Agi, my elder sister, were in class seven, and we both took the exam at the same time.In each class seven, there are individuals that you could pretty well determine how they were going to perform in the examination.In our class, for possible list A, you could count me,Obi Regina,Glory Okon(girl of Nigerian origin)and Hans Agbor to past the examination in the A list.I was real strong in arithmetic, but a little bit above average in my English language skills.The pass grade was based on an average score from both sections.You could thus cover up from one section, your weakness in the other.Obi Regina, was very solid all around.So was Glory Okon,little Ibo girl, she was arguably the brightest of all of us.Agbor Hans, was a master of the English language.The guy knew from around class four that "Aid" and "Assistance" were synonyms.Remember, this was not the age of the whiz kids.He had two things going against him though.One, he was already aged seventeen, by the time he took the common entrance, his age will thus eliminate him from admission into the government schools during "interview".Secondly, his arithmetic skills were just average.
A total of about twenty to thirty of us sat for the exam which told place in Tiko town.Ndongo, our school was not an examination center.We thus had to make it to Tiko town in time to sit for the examination.My Dad accompanied me and Agi, for the trip, to make sure that we arrived on time and to provide us with some guidance.We arrived on time and together with pupils from other primary school, we were seated and began the examination with the section of Arithmetic.
After the arithmetic section, we were given a break for about an hour before the English language section was to start.Everybody was instructed that the break was for lunch purposes and we were not to venture too far from the examination center.
A funny thing happened though.The two girls, Obi Regina and Okon Glory went into town for their lunch break.Glory, lives in town and she probably took Regina to have lunch in their house.The two of them did not return until about an hour into the English section examination.I guess, that is one of the reasons that Dad accompanied us to the examination.Mr Orum, he was the class seven teacher of the time, and had accompanied the school delegation was really mad and greatly disappointed.His best two pupils want missing during a critical part of the examination.He was to remain angry with the girls until we graduated from primary school.
When the result of the common entrance came out the two girls totally failed.Glory was to return to Nigeria and I never heard of her again.I and Agbor Hans were successful in List A. Agi passed in List B. Because of his age at the time,Hans seeked admission into Government Technical School in Ombe. I do not remember whether he was successful at all and I never did see him again.
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Hi Tambe,
I am amazed you retain such a vivid memory of the Common Entrance Exam! I do not retain too much of exactly when and how mine went. What I retain to the last detail was my interview to gain entrance into the Government Schools. My interview was quite a melodrama. I could have been a character from the keystone cops who never get anything right.
A whole bunch of flops led me- as well as the kids still waiting to go in to be interviewed- to believe I had blown the interview big time.
That year the interviews for the larger Bamenda area were conducted at one primary school in Bamenda. Here all interviewees congregated. It goes without saying that those from out of town went in first. Us locals had to seat and sweat it out in the sun hour after hour.
The upside of those who had to wait was that we had ample opportunity to rehearse outside; querry those already interviewed on the questions, then figure what answers best fit; as well as judge from how those who went in comported themselves. The interviews were conducted in a classroom, so even from afar you could see in.
It was generally agreed that you straighten up smartly before entering; greet the interviewers formally; then present to them the forms we had been handed earlier.
It was also considered essential that one maintain an at attention posture throughout interview.
Gosh, did us locals have to wait long! Hours went by. Lunch time came ane went. At some point my friend- one Valentine- had had enough. He was frustrated. For one he was sure his devout Catholic mother will not let him go to a college other than Sacred Heart; so what was the point putting up with that tiresome business. So the guy handed me his interview form and disappeared.
At long last, towards evenign, it was my turn to be interviewed. Having rehearsed well, I stepped in smartly, handed my form, took a step back and stood at a stiff attention. Then the old gents representing the various govt schools started looking at my interview form.
Then I noticed something that horrified me: I had handed them Valentine's form! In my haste to get in, I had left mine outside. I apologised; fumbled a bad explanation; quickly retrived the form from the bewildered old gents and went out for mine.
It was dead silence from the other kids. You could have heard a pin drop. Of all the petty gaffes we had been noting all day long, it appeared mine was more closer to a Cardinal felony.
I quietly got my form and went back in. But this time around it appeared that I forgot all the advice on comportment, standing at attention etc, that we had rehearsed. I fiddled around; crossed my legs; rubbed my face- probably because I was embarrased- and for this got quite a chiding from the old gents doing the interviewing. I dont recall that anyone had received a dressing down that day. That chiding did it.
As I left the interview there was a pained shocked looked on the kids still waiting outside. No one rushed to me to querry me on what I was asked. I went off in a somber mood, convinced that was it. My only hope was that Sacred Heart will still have an opening for me by the time the results came out.
You can imagine my shock when the results came out. I was in!
Till today I dont know what role fortune played, if at all. One of the old gents- I had never seen before, or since- stopped at our house a week or so later. He appeared to have been a childhood pal of my dad's. If he had anything to do with it, then fortune must have placed him in mhy path that day
Michael Galabe
You know what I think,in those days they were looking at your age and size.Once you passed the list A and you are within the required age and size limit they get you in. I can't believe your friend just abandon the whole interview process.
Hi Tambe
I think your observations are on the mark. I recall that there was an increasing tendency to shift towards the 12 plus or minus group in selections. It was a tough time for those who were beginning to show visible signs of manhood.:)
As for the friend of mine, Valentine, it happened that his mother- her soul rest in peace- was a very devout Catholic. Probably the most devout Catholic in what was referred to as the Big Mankon Parish; at present the Archbishopric, I believe.
I recall that she had made pilgrimages to Rome and Jerusalem, if my memory serves me right. Often she would not just attend one mass on Sunday; she would attend the early mass, the 7am mass, the High mass etc...
By the time the interviews for Government schools came around, Sacred Heart College Mankon had already conducted its won. Valentine was in, and as far as the mom was concerned, there was no question of chosing an atheistic government school over the premier Catholic College in the North West Province.
In my case I was not that hot about Lycee at the time either. It was not till I was dropped off at the gates of Lycee that things changed. You have to realise that I had never been to Buea; none of my classmates were heading to Lycee; I had no friends in Buea... It was like sending me to some alien land.
On the other hand, a good portion of my class seven classmates were heading to Sacred Heart College. It could be said that our boys' primary school- St Joseph's Mankon- was like the Sacred Heart School recruiting ground.
Furthermore, it was not only my friend Valentine's mom who shared a pro-Sacred Heart bias in Mankon. In my family too a good number of boys had headed before me to Sacred Heart. I grew up watching them march on youth days, and, to some extent, it was assumed as a matter of course that I will head to Sacred Heart.
The Sacred Heart interview was conducted in two parts: a written and an oral. I think I did very well. The Reverend brothers running the school first read out the rejected; and I was first on the list of accepted. Those of us from same class who made it were in high spirits as we walked home.
But my dad was already inclining strongly in favour of Lycee.
Mistake me not. As soon as I stepped through the gates of Lycee I never regretted the choice. If I were to go back in time I will not change a thing. I think by far Lycee allowed an individual more room to live their lives and do their own things than the privately run Church colleges.
Michael Galabe
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