While the ICT Holiday Camps are organised with specific and set objectives to attain by the end of 5 days, participants like parents equally have their expectations and fears that are slowly but surely met and resolved across meticulously selected activities.

 

Here she is. Kabiang Patricia. She is13 years old and member of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART) camp hosted on the campus of Government Bilingual Secondary School site. Her family slogan: "TOLERANCE". Patricia is said to be outstanding as a result of the fact that she is the first child to answer present on the campus where the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications organised the 6th edition of the ICT Holiday Camps 2022 in Lolodorf.

According to Minpostel, some of the objectives for organising these camps is to popularize ICT in the rural and semi-rural areas in Cameroon, bridge the digital gap that exist between young people of hinterland and urban areas and promote cybersecurity.

It is worth noting that these objectives do not in anyway stop the participants and their parents from expecting and setting their own objectives and expectations.

Coming from the little Patricia, her punctuality stems from her enthusiasm of what she likely stands to gain as a conscious participant. The young camper looks forward to receiving gifts should she excel in the activities carried out in her camp. In her words she said "I came to this camp to meet new friends, win a prize, make a new family and most especially have fun".

Improving her skills in ICT was never on her agenda. However, she revealed that she is satisfied with the friendly nature of her monitors, the accommodation, the kind and quality of food served but surprisingly added the interesting nature of the ICT lessons which after orientation of what the camp was all about she understood it was the heart of their raison d'etre in the camps.

On the other hand, Mr. Nayouba Amidou, a parent of 4 registered children at the camp equally expressed not only his expectations but fears. He says "every parent's wish is to be able to offer the best of education to the children, therefore I expect that by the end of this exercise the children must have acquired skills that will permit them measure up and have equal opportunity with those of the urban areas particularly in the field of ICT." For a better preparation of their children's boarding needs, the caring father added, "we solicit that for the next edition, if possible a door to door sensitisation be done inorder to permit us make appropriate arrangements. However, upon reaching the site to check if my kids were ok, I was reassured and satisfied by what I saw from afar since I was not permitted to talk to them for fear of distracting them in their activities."

Conclusively, it can be said that the expectations are gradually being met, fears are wiped away and surprises keep unfolding in the camps.