- Creation of Registration and Accommodation Centres.
The creation of Registration and Accommodation Centres is the prerogative of the Registrar. He works in close collaboration with the departmental Head (DRE/DRTS) and Examination Officers. The creation of new Examination centres and Accommodation centres starts by the reception and processing of the requests (application forms) from the interested schools. Staff of the Board are deployed on the field to inspect the structures and ascertain the state of readiness of the schools. Some of the items to be inspected include;
- Location of Accommodation centre in relation to settlement and security
- Number of security guards available (temporal and permanent)
- Accessibility to candidates and officials (read network)
- Accommodation of candidates
- Staff strength
- Conduciveness (effect of neighboring activities on examination)
- Conformity of safe to GCE Board standards and specifications.
1.2 Registration of Candidates
It is the contracting link between the GCE Board and the candidates who intend to sit for any examinations organized by the Board (GCE General, GCE Technical; Ordinary and Advanced Levels, Baccalaureat Technique and related examinations in English, Foreign Examination – LCCL, IPED etc). evidence of this link are the contracting documents issued to candidates by the Chiefs of Centres – individual Timetable are Receipts. There are also important documents which are provided by the Board, to guide Chiefs of Centre with the registration exercise.
These are:
- Procedure for Registration (A5)
- Duties of Chief of Centre (A8)
- Instructions to Candidates (B/G/T1)
- Candidates Registration Form (B/G/T3)
- User Manual for E-registration.
1.3 Registration Centres
i. Pre-Registration
- They are approved collection points for registration fees,
- A registration software CD, is handed to the Chief of Registration Centre at a Coordination meeting organized by the Board, involving Board Staff, Liaison officers and Chiefs of Centres. Registration procedures are spelt out in these meetings.
- Prior to this, the Technical Service of the Board is called upon to simulate the registration software program in order to render it user friendly (in-house)
ii. During Registration
- Candidates are instructed to present themselves in person before he registration officer.
- The Chief of Centre is mandated to issue Registration Receipt/Timetable to candidates immediately after registration.
- All correspondences from candidates are channeled through the Chief of Centre to the Registrar of the Board.
iii. Post Registration: it involves, the reception of registration materials at the GCE Board Head Office Buea, Bamenda Regional Office, and by liaison officers.
- Assembly of registration materials at the Head Office.
- Holding of preparatory meetings by the Division of Examinations (DE) and Division of Technical Services (DTS) on the treatment of registration files.
- Sorting registration flash pens and immediate transmission to the Division of Technical Services for data capture.
- Serene checks of the registration materials by secretariats workers under the supervision of Board staff.
- Transmission of draft candidates list (B/G/T2s) to the Division of Technical Service (DTS) for corrections to be effected.
- Printing and dispatch of B/G/T2s to Registration Centers, for Candidates to check and confirm their entries.
- Challenges
- Flash pens could be mixed up with other registration materials thus rendering them difficult to trace.
- Incomplete registration data noticed in some flash pens.
- Conflicting data on some registration documents.
- Parallel birth certificates with conflicting information.
- difficulty in equating some forien qualifying documents wih ours, for those candidates whiching to sit in for the GCE Advanced Level.
Types of Accommodation Centres: Practical and Writing Accommodation Centres.
i. Practical Accommodation Centres
- Subject to inspection by National and Regional Pedagogic Inspectors recommended by Inspector Coordinator of Science and endorsed by the Board.
ii. writting Accommodation Centres
- Subject to inspection by Board Staff to ascertain security, accessibility and adequate accommodation facilities etc.
- May host more than ONE Registration Centre (feeder centre)