Elementary Education Program

promoting the holistic development

of the child through value based education and basic life skills.

Under the Elementary Education Program are several sub-programs that all seek to develop the child and surrounding communities, as part of UAC’s primary mission. Currently, UAC has the following schools:

  1. Jamadianle Nursery / Elementary School, Buea
  2. International Children’s Bilingual Academy(ICBA), Mamfe
Jamadianle began in May 2002 as a nursery school with 11 children in a one-room schoolhouse while International Children’s Academy began in September 2008. Since their inception in 2002 and 2008 respectively, the two schools have grown considerably: in 2013-2014 school year, 685 students attend Jamadianle while 451 students attend ICBA. The schools now run from Pre-nursery to Elementary six, with ages from 03 to 12 years.
Whereas government-run schools in Cameroon focus primarily on memorization(rote learning methodology) and repetition, United Action for Children’s (UAC’s) nursery and Elementary schools are unique because they emphasize on promoting the holistic development of the child through value based education and basic life skills. This means that class sizes are small (usually not more than 30 students per class), corporal and other forms of punishment that jeopardize the personality of the child are forbidden, and children given individual attention.

By focusing on these areas, Jamadianle Nursery/Elementary school in Buea and the International Children’s Academy(ICA) in Mamfe, are attempting to embrace new pedagogical methods that encourage a deeper understanding of the material. As a result of this approach, both Jamadianle and ICA students’ are able to learn more advanced material than their peers in the public schools. Jamadianle and ICA also distinguish themselves by providing one hot meal a day for its students. Teachers realized that in order to learn effectively, children need to have enough energy. Since some children do not take breakfast before coming to school, a proper launch has been part of the educational program since their establishment in September 2002 and September 2008, respectively.

Apart from a radically different educational approach, Jamadianle and ICA also offer a number of innovative additional programmes to motivate its pupils in learning and personal development. Among these are the availability of the Teaching Aids Room, Remedial reading, Container Farming(farming where there is no land), the yearly Christmas celebration, a nursery to Elementary graduation ceremony, the summer holiday programme, The One–Child, One-Chicken project/One-Child-One-Tree project and a prestigious school bus system.
Because of its innovative approach to education, Jamadianle desperately needs funds to construct a secondary school that will go a long way to ensure the smooth transition of its students from Elementary to secondary school that will include a laboratory, cookery lab and a Multimedia Centre.