EXCERPTS FROM THE STATEMENT BY THE CAMEROON HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TO MARK THE 6TH INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION, JANUARY 24, 2024

Theme: Learning for lasting peace 

” The Commission is pleased that the Assembly of the African Union, meeting in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on 18-19 February 2023 for its 36th Ordinary Session, has chosen Education as the African Union theme of the Year 2024 “.

” The Commission further notes that within the family, parents must effectively supervise their children at home so that they consolidate the knowledge and behaviour they will acquire once they enter the school environment and maintain their habits of obedience, respect, diligence and discipline in order to achieve good results at school and thrive in adult life “.

” The Commission commends the signing, by the President of the Republic, of Decree No. 2023/223 of 27 April 2023 to lay down conditions governing the exercise of some powers devolved by the State upon Regions in the area of secondary education “.

” The Commission commends the significant increase of 61.4 billion CFA francs in the 2024 budget of the Ministry of Secondary Education, which now amounts to 539.2 billion CFA francs, to meet, inter alia, the legitimate demands of teachers in this ministry “.

” The Commission is still deeply concerned about the persistence of rants, ill-tempered attitudes, and verbal attacks among certain teachers despite the many positive measures taken to respond to them, and by the subsequent delays observed in the coverage of curricula, resulting in significant learning losses in some government schools “.

” The Commission recommends that the Government implement structural reforms in the field of education in order to improve the general level of students and to promote the implementation of sustainable peace through education “.