Gov’t raises Baccalaureate exams fee by 25%.

The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Secondary Education in charge of Teacher’s Training, Boniface Bayoula, made public the decision in a release on September 12.

The decision has sparked mixed reactions for those in the French subsystem of education.

In a letter addressed to the Centre Regional Delegate of Secondary Education, Bayoula, on behalf of the Minister of Secondary Education, informed officials of the OBC that registration fee has been moved from its traditional 9,000 FCFA to 12,000 FCFA.

According to the correspondence, the registration fee for Probatoire and Baccalaureate examinations in the French subsystem of education will now be done in accordance with the increase.

The Secretary of State in the release called on officials of the OBC to sensitise parents on the fresh increase in exams registration fee.

It is a decision that has continued to divide public opinion.

Many see it as a move by government to increase the resources of the OBC, which is said to be still owing examiners for previous exams.

The increase in registration fees, a parent is quoted as having said, is likely to pose difficulties for families, where affording two square meals a day remains problematic.

Another parent said the decision comes at a wrong time, given the general increase in school fees and the general rise in the course of living nationwide.

The same parent said given the sensitive nature of the issue, there should have been broad-based consultations to strike a balance before taking a decision.

Institutions managing certificate exams in the country like the OBC and the Cameroon General Certification of Education, GCE Board, have in recent years been experiencing constraints not unconnected to the timely payment of examiners.

Such adjustments have always triggered some to see it as a means to raise money to cover for the shortages.