Cameroon - Education



Education is free in state schools and compulsory between ages 6 and 12. Government funds are available to mission and private schools. Most secondary schools have been made bilingual, with instruction in both French and English. Working alongside the public schools are the missionary schools, which have been extremely important in the history of Cameroonian education. As of 1999, public expenditure on education was estimated at 2.6% of GDP.

In 1997 a total of 1,921,186 pupils were attending 8,514 primary schools, with 39,384 teachers. The pupil-teacher ratio at the primary level was 69 to 1 as of 1999. At the secondary level in 1994–95, 459,068 students were enrolled in general education, with 14,917 teachers. Children go through six years of primary schooling followed by four years of secondary at the first stage and three years at the second. Projected adult illiteracy rate for the year 2000 stands at 24.6% (males, 18.2%; females, 30.8%).

There are two universities in the capital, in addition to those in Dschang, Nhaoundere, Duala and Buea. At Yaoundé University (founded in 1962) and other equivalent institutions, there were more than 33,000 students and over 1,000 instructors in the mid-1990s. There are faculties of science, law and economics, and arts at Yaoundé, which maintains four regional campuses. Higher institutions attached to the university include the University Health Sciences Center, the Higher School of Sciences and Techniques of Information, the Institute of International Relations, the Advanced Teachers Training College, and the Polytechnic School. There is also a national school of public administration and an institute of business administration.

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User Contributions:

1
oiu;i
very very nice :) i liked it a lot it was good info thank u so much
the aims and objectives of cameroon colonial education policy in terms of formation,adoption of such policies and there outcomes
3
gwendoline
what are general aims if education in cameroon as initiated by the ppoliticians
I really appreciate the work of Cameroon government. Creating more schools and training more teachers.But what is the government doing to support the citizen in creating job opportunities in the economy? I realized that after the university, the students goes back on streets doing "call box" businesses. Is this the vision of creating more schools? What is the government doing to enhance the quality of education in Cameroon?
5
chiara
what is the historical background of the ministry of basic education cameroon
6
educator
We thank God for new and additional schools created in Cameroon. As an Educator, I think the Cameroon has not improved much on what the colonial masters brought. We need a total change in the curriculum of our educational system. The content of what is taught in schools is far outdated and irrelevant. I think we can solve this problem by first looking at the economic needs of our society and tailoring our curriculum content to meet those needs. Our educational objectives and purpose need to be completely revamped. Students need to be taught skills that are relevant for this 21st century. The most crucial thing we need to look at is the quality of training our teachers are receiving. Teaching methods need to be seriously updated from the traditional lecture method to more engaging teaching techniques.
7
Tindong Sylvester fomelack
Cameroon is certainly evolving in educational issues. This is good news. we need to do more by making our system more inclusive. A lot of emphasis has been laid on girls' education to the extent that most boys feel that they should become commercial byke riders since their not going to school is a non-issue. If this trend continues, we will see an incredible gender disparity in schools in future.
Moreover the education of persons with disabilities should be reinforced.
8
electah sandra
what is the purpose of education in Cameroon?how has missionary education helped in Cameroon?
9
joelnoh
woow interesting article. it was really helpful thanks alot

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