1.1 The University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate

   As far back as 1944, most secondary schools in Nigeria and the then Southern Cameroons took the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate (UCLES) as their final examination. This Cambridge school Examination was a group Certificate Examination. The examination was taken at three levels. Junior Cambridge was taken in form four, and the Senior Cambridge was taken in form six. Upper Sixth form students wrote the Cambridge Higher School Certificate Examination.

1.2 The West African School Certificate Examination

    In 1954, Southern Cameroons withdrew from the Cambridge Examination Board to take the West African School Certificate examination, which had been created in 1951. This went on until the re-unification of Southern Cameroons with East Cameroon in 1961.

1.3 University of London GCE Examination  

   After the re-unification of Southern Cameroons with East Cameroon, West Cameroon (former Southern Cameroons) withdrew in 1963 from the West African Certificate Examination to the University of London GCE Examinations. West Cameroonians continued with the University of London General Certificate of Education Examination until 1976 when the Cameroon Ministry of National Education took over the conduct of the GCE Examinations.

1.4 Moves towards the Cameroonisation of the GCE Examination   

   The Cameroonisation of the University of London General certificate of Education Examinations had been the pre-occupation of the Ministry of National Education. Since the reunification of former East Cameroon with West Cameroon in 1961, the Ministry of National Education was motivated to this decision by the ardent need it felt to have an examination based.

Feasibility studies for the Cameroon GCE were jointly carried out by the British and Cameroonian experts. The landmark was the meeting of two delegations in Yaounde from 5^th to 6^th January 1976 in which the main features of the examination were defined. These included name, organization, objectives of the Ordinary level and Advanced level subjects, number of sessions per year, types of questions, marking, grading, security measures etc. on 24^th November 1976, the President signed Decree Nº 76/555 instituting the General Certificate of Education Examination in Cameroon. A tentative programme for the Cameroonisation of the GCE examination was also drawn up, and the first session took place in June 1977.

Other important decisions and conclusions of special note were the British contribution to the creation, organization and implementation of the Cameroon GCE examination. It was agreed that special tripartite liaison arrangements be established among the three authorities involved: The Department of examinations, Senate House, University of London and the British Government.

Such arrangements included assistance in the following areas: drafting of syllabuses, moderation, the supply of consultants and external examiners and the training of Cameroonian personnel.

Finally, it was agreed that, subject to the maintenance of appropriate standards, the University of London would be required to do all that it could to ensure the wide scale recognition of the Cameroon GCE examination results and certificates.

1.5 Cameroon GCE Examinations administered By the Ministry of National Education

   The first Cameroon GCE examination was conducted in June 1971. Until June 1987, the marketing of the Cameroon GCE       examination was done in the lone centre of Yaounde on a rotatory basis such that the subjects marked in one centre in one year would be marked in another centre the following years.

1.1 The birth of the  GCE Board.

   After the Cameroonisation of the London GCE in 1977, things went on smoothly until 1984. From 1984 on wards, the GCE began experiencing irregularities as some London officials began withdrawing. Beginning from 1990, when the University of London Examination and Assessment Council withdrew completely from the role it had played so far on the Cameroon GCE, the irregularities became even more alarming. Some of these irregularities included,

1. The used of GCE questions reserved for future sessions for Entrance Examinations into ENS in 1990,
2. Change of the format of the GCE question papers in 1991 without prior notice to candidates,
3.  poor printing,
4. Wrong pagination,
5. Wrong spellings,
6. Shortage of question papers and materials,
7. Late arrival of question papers and the postponement of some papers,
8. Wrong instructions on question papers and examination leakages.

In response to this popular demand, the Prime Minister of the Republic signed an order (Nº: 194/CAB/PM of 11^th September, 1992) creating a Technical Committee to carry out studies and make recommendations on the organization and functioning of the GCE Examination Board.

On July 1^st, 1993, the President of the Republic signed a Decree Nº:93/172 of 1^st July 1993) creating the GCE Board. The decree empowered the Board to organize the General Certificate of Education examinations at the Ordinary and Advanced Levels.

Following the creation of the Board, the Ministry of National Education set up an Ad Hoc Committee to write the text of application to the July 1^st, 1993 decree. On October 12, 1993, the Prime Minister signed the Text of Application; Order Nº : 112/CAB/PM to define and determine the administrative and financial organization of the Board. This led to the appointment of the pioneer Chairman of the Board. The installation of the Chairman by the Minister of National Education on 25^th October 1993 in Buea marked the starting point in the functioning of the Cameroon GCE Board.

The initial decree was amended and completed by two other decrees: Nº:97/45 and Nº:91/46 both of 5^th March 1997. These amendments widened the scope of activities of the Board to include the organization of examinations in English leading to the award of the Baccalaureat Technique, the Brevet de Technique, the Brevet d’études Professionnelles, and the Brevet Profesionnelle Certificates.

The first council of the Board held on 19^th November 1993. Since then GCE examinations in Cameroon have been organized by the Cameroon GCE Board.

1.2 First Sessions of the Board Examination

   The Cameroon General Certificate of Education Board organized the first sessions of its examinations as follows:

1. For the General Education subjects, in June 1994;
2. For the GCE in Technical Education subjects in June 1995; and
3. For the Baccalaureat Technique and Related Examinations in June 1997. 

1.3 International Recognition of the Cameroon GCE Results

  Since the Cameroonisation of the London GCE, the University of London Board has recognized the grades awarded at both the Ordinary Level and Advanced Level as equivalent to the grades awarded in corresponding subjects at the London GCE examination.

The Management organ of the Board shall be:

1. The Board of Directors
2. The Registrar

The Registrar is the Chief Executive Officer of the Board. In that capacity, he represents the Board in all academic matters. He is also the chairman of the Examinations Executive Committee (EEC).

The EEC is responsible for all academic matters of the Board. It is also responsible for the organization, quality control, and development of the Boards Examinations.