Theme.- Education for all children in Africa: the time is now

The Commission notes that this year’s theme of the Day of the African Child is in line with the theme of the AU for the year 2024, adopted during the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government held on 18 and 19 February 2023 and which reads “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant learning in Africa”.

The Commission observes that the emphasis on education also arises notably from the review of the execution of the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) which calls upon Members States to set up a “qualitative system of education and training to provide the African continent with efficient human resources adapted to African core values and therefore capable of achieving the vision and ambitions of the African Union”, and whose implementation revealed that despite the progress observed in this area, the number of out-of-school individuals continues to grow in African states.

The Commission commends the approval, on 27 March 2024 by the Minister of Basic Education, of a budget of 175,000,000 FCFA for the rehabilitation of some schools in the West Region. This includes:

– a total amount of 75,000,000 FCFA for the Djeleng V Public School (Bafoussam), and

– a total of 50,000,000 FCFA for the Bamendzi Public School (Bafoussam) and 

– an overall 50,000,000 FCFA for the Koptchou Maetur Public School (Bafoussam).

The Commission also commends the signing on 19 December 2023, by the Minister of Basic Education and the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform, of Joint Order No. 113/B1/1464/ MINEDUB/MINFOPRA to open a selection test for the recruitment of 3,000 primary school teachers as part of the fifth phase of the third programme of integration of nursery and primary school teachers of the public primary schools of the Ministry of Basic Education, for the year 2023.

The Commission strongly encourages families, public sector bodies including Regional and Local Authorities, public and private companies, development partners and civil society organisations to invest more in education for the emergence of Cameroon by 2035, as well as for the safeguarding and strengthening of morality, traditional values, and positive African cultures. 

The commission recommends to the Government, to strengthen the “following three components, higher education, scientific research and TVET (technical and vocational education and training)” in a bid to enhance quality and foster relevance in the scientific production in relation to the development of the country.

Finally, the Commission recommends greater synergy of actions by all stakeholders to foster the adoption and observance of the right to quality education, which is frequently compromised by infrastructure quality issues, deficient or poorly-equipped libraries and labs, and the substandard nature of teaching and assessments.

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