Effects of armed conflicts on teaching and learning: Perspectives of secondary school teachers in Cameroon

Abstract

The ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon has resulted in more than 8300 attacks on schools yet education cannot wait. This study sought to find out the effects of the ongoing armed conflict on teaching activities in operational schools in the affected areas in Cameroon. Using a mixed method sequential exploratory design, qualitative data, collected from 19 participants through open-ended questions was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings were used to design a questionnaire, administered to 652 participants and data were analysed using multiple response, chi-square and equality of proportion test. Findings presented using joint displays indicated that attendance, content delivery, safety, discipline and assessment have been significantly hampered. However, classroom attendance was most significantly (P=0.000) affected, disrupting teaching and evaluation with differential effects found across locations and school types. It was concluded that teaching activities are ineffective and may result in further detrimental effects requiring more practical actions on school sites.