Education in Cameroon
Encyclopedia
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
is among the best in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Primary and secondary school
Education is compulsory through the age of 14 years. Primary school education has been free since 2000; however, families must pay for uniforms and book fees. Tuition and fees at the secondary school level remain unaffordable for many families.In 2002, the gross primary enrollment rate was 108 percent. Gross enrollment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. In 2001, 84.6 percent of children ages 10 to 14 years were attending school. As of 2001, 64 percent of children who started primary school were likely to reach grade 5.
Fewer girls enroll in primary school in Cameroon than boys. In 2001, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child identified a number of problems with the educational system in Cameroon, including rural/urban and regional disparities in school attendance; limited access to formal and vocational education for children with disabilities; children falling behind in their primary education; a high dropout rate; lack of primary school teachers; and violence and sexual abuse against children in schools. Early marriage, unwanted pregnancy, domestic chores and certain socio-cultural biases also contribute to low education rates. Domestic workers are generally not permitted by their employers to attend school.
The adult literacy rate is 67.9%. In the southern areas of the country almost all children of primary-school age are enrolled in classes. However, in the north, which has always been the most isolated part of Cameroon, registration is low. Most students in Cameroon do not go beyond the primary grades. There has been an increasing trend of the smartest students leaving the country in recent years to study abroad and end up settling there, the so-called "brain drain".
Two separate systems of education were used in Cameroon after independence. East Cameroon's system was based on the French model, West Cameroon's on the British model. The two systems were merged by 1976. Christian mission schools have been an important part of the educational system. The country has institutions for teacher training and technical education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. At the top of the educational structure is the University of Yaoundé. There is, however, a growing trend for the wealthiest and best-educated students to leave the country in order to study and live abroad, creating a brain drain
Brain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
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In the Cameroon English speaking education sub-system, pupils leaving Primary School enter Secondary School after passing the Government Common Entrance Examinations (and obtaining a First School Leaving Certificate)in Class 6 (now) or 7 (formerly). The last two years in Secondary School,after GCE O Levels, are referred to as High School. So a High School is actually part of the Secondary School but in Cameroon, it is habitual to talk of Secondary School for a School which ends at the O Levels Class and High School for one which offers the complete secondary education program of 7 years (or one which simply has Lower and Upper Sixth Classes).
The academic year in Cameroon runs from September to June, at which time, end of year examinations are always written. The General Certificate of Education(GCE)both Ordinary and Advanced levels are the two most qualifying exams in the Anglophone part of Cameroon. Students who graduate from a five year secondary school program have to sit for the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level, and those who graduate from a two year high school program have to sit for the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level. So far, the GCE advanced level and the Baccalaureate ( the French Equivalent of academic attainment) are the two main entrance qualifications into Cameroon's institutions of higher learning.
Higher education
Although Cameroon boast of a sprawling cache of junior academic institutions of excellence, higher institutions however are rather insufficient. There are seven state run universities. These are located in (Buea, Douala,Yaounde I & II,Dschang, Maroua and Ngaoundere). There is a handful of thriving private universities such as the Bamenda University of Science and Technology (BUST), International University,Bamenda and the Fotso Victor University in the west province.The University of Buea is the only Anglo-Saxon style university in Cameroon, and the rest of Cameroon's six state managed universities are run on the francophonie model, although in principle, they are considered to be bilingual institutions. Cameroon's universities are strictly managed by the central government, with the Pro-chancellors and Rectors of these universities adamantly appointed by presidential decree. The minister of higher Education is the Chancellor of all Cameroon's state universities. Compared with neighbouring countries however, Cameroon generally enjoy stable academic calendars. In all, Cameroon's higher education has been a success since independence, with thousands of its graduates mostly consumed by the public service in Cameroon. Since the 1990s, with economic crises, a new trend has been for hundreds of university graduates leaving the country for greener pastures in Western countries. The government is doing little or nothing to curb this brain draining.
Nonetheless, an emerging number of private higher technical institutions of learnng like the Nacho university, Fonab Polythenic, and many others are beginning to reshape the predominantly general education style of education that for over three decades has been the turf of most anglophone students in Cameroon
Universities in Cameroon include:
- Bamenda University of Science & Technology
- International University, Bamenda
- University of BueaUniversity of BueaUniversity of Buea or Université de Buea is located in Buea in South West Cameroon near Mount Cameroon. It was founded as a university centre in 1985 and it became a university in 1992 on basis of government decree...
- University of DoualaUniversity of DoualaUniversity of Douala or Université de Douala is located in Douala in Cameroon .It was founded in 1977-External links:***...
- University of DschangUniversity of DschangThe University of Dschang is a university located in Dschang, Cameroon.-Faculties:The university has five faculties and Higher schools:*Faculté des Lettres et Sciences HumainesDoyen: Professeur Dimi Charles...
- University of NgaoundereUniversity of NgaoundéréUniversity of Ngaoundéré or Université de Ngaoundéré is in Douala located in Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. It was founded in 1982.-External links:**...
- University of Maroua
- University of Bamenda
- University of YaoundeUniversity of YaoundéThe University of Yaoundé is a leading university in Cameroon, located in Yaoundé.It was built with the help of France and opened in 1962 as the Federal University of Yaoundé, dropping the "Federal" in 1972 when the country was reorganized....
(two campuses) - Catholic University of Central Africa (Yaounde)
- The International Relations Institute of Cameroon - IRIC (yaounde)
- St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Major Seminary (BambuiBambuiBambui is an emerging township in northwestern Cameroon. With a population of about 50,000 people, it is located at an elevation of about 1350 metres above sea level. Administratively, Bambui is the headquarters of Tubah Sub-Division in the North West Region of Cameroon...
) - Siantou and Ndi Samba Schools of Higher Learning (Yaounde)
- Catholic University of Cameroon, Bamenda (Bamenda)
- Highlands University (P)