African Malagasy Council for Higher Education: Minister Fame Ndongo urges newly admitted lecturers to be nation-builders.

This was during an event to officially publish the results of the 21st CAMES aggregation competitive entrance examination for the Legal, Political, Economic and Management Sciences fields. 

The examination, which was organised for candidates with qualification of at least assistant professors in universities under the CAMES bloc, was held at the IRIC campus this week, following its launch by the Cameroonian Chancellor of Academic Orders and Higher Education boss, Prof Fame Ndongo last Monday. 

Sixty-seven of the 208 candidates, who sat for the examination, made it across the six combined fields including Economic Sciences, Political Sciences, Public Law, Private Law and Management Sciences. The successful candidates got admitted as lecturers in the CAMES bloc. 

Speaking in a closing statement during the ceremony to welcome the newly admitted educators, Prof Fame Ndongo congratulated the professors for their bravery and the show of excellence in braving through the highly competitive examination. 

“This is an exam that facilitates the harmonious accumulation of knowledge. Dear newly admitted, you have succeeded in structuring your scholarly and professional knowledge into an intelligible whole,” Prof Fame Ndongo said.

The minister particularly enjoined the newcomers to distance themselves from laziness by endlessly striving for the best. This, the Chancellor of Academic Orders emphasised, is to ensure that the educators play decisive frontline roles in changing their countries’ destinies as nation-builders. 

“Today, you are the salt and light of our societies. Tomorrow, you will become the ambrosia, the nourishment of the Promethean world,” he stated.

“Our countries need sapient light in everything, everywhere and always. Don’t sleep on your laurels, however glittering they may be. Create, invent and innovate. The nation will be forever grateful. And you know the prophetic saying: ‘Hate him who shades the light under a bushel’,” he added.

The CAMES 2023 aggregation examination was conducted at the IRIC campus from Monday, November 13 to Wednesday, November 15. 

Sixteen of the 68 candidates who came through successfully in the examination were Cameroonians, maintaining Cameroon’s high-performer status in examinations organised by CAMES.

The event to welcome the newcomers was punctuated by the official admission of new members into the CAMES International Order of Academic Palms. 

Prof Fame Ndongo, in his speech, expressed gratitude to the Head of State, President Paul Biya, and the Prime Minister and Head of Government, Chief Dr Dion Ngute, for respectively permitting and facilitating the holding of the CAMES examination in Yaounde. 

He sent out similar messages of gratitude to CAMES for trusting Cameroon with the hosting of the examination session, which, he says, plays a key role in promoting the development of the African continent through development-oriented teachings and research in the higher education sector. 

Higher Education Minister, Prof Fame Ndongo 

Laureates pledge selflessness in delivery 

Speaking in separate interviews after last Friday’s event, the newly admitted lecturers pledged their readiness to heed the minister’s call.

Cameroon’s Nkoumou Ngoa Gaston Brice from the University of Dschang, who came through as the overall best candidate, said he will continue working hard to ensure he gains more grounds and drives positive change. 

“We will work hard to ensure we don’t disappoint in this mission. I urge my colleagues in the University of Dschang and elsewhere to follow the example and continue working hard as always,” Nkoumou said.

Nkoumou bagged the sum of 2 million FCFA as the winner of the Coris Bank International prize for coming out as the overall best-performing candidate of the CAMES 2023 aggregation examination. 

About CAMES, aggregation examination

The African Malagasy Council of Higher Education was created in 1968 under the umbrella of the Joint African and Malagasy Common Organisation, OCAM. 

The institution, which is headquartered in Burkina Faso, brings together over 19 African countries with the aim of promoting intergovernmental activities between the states at the level of higher education. 

The institution’s examination to admit new lecturers is organised every two years, with the purpose of, amongst others, recruiting higher education personnel by guaranteeing the international level of teachers. 

The body also assesses the abilities of candidates for higher education teaching positions and promotes the promotion of teachers. The bloc’s aggregation examinati