As higher education institutions to resume: PM tasks stakeholders to align programmes with socio-economic realities.

The Prime Minister issued the instruction during the Cabinet Meeting for the month of September. The meeting which was attended by ministers of state, ministers, ministers delegate and secretaries of state took place on September 26.

The Head of Government further urged the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training to adjust the training content to meet international standards and create a competitive pool of human resources.

In the secondary and basic education sectors, the Prime Minister said respective ministers must ensure that the school curricula is fully covered according to the timetable for teaching activities. He also insisted on the need for teachers to be present.

The Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo, presented a statement on the assessment of the 2023/2024 university year and preparations for the upcoming academic year.

Minister Fame Ndongo highlighted that the 2023/2024 academic year marked the beginning of the transition towards entrepreneurial universities, as introduced by Law No. 2023/007 of 25 July 2023 on the orientation of higher education in Cameroon.

He also revealed that the digitization of academic activities has made significant progress. The member of government said this is driven by the establishment of digital university development centres, fully equipped through the Presidential e-National Higher Education Network project.

Fame Ndongo said the academic year for higher education will begin on October 7. He explained that emphasis will be on enhancing existing structures, with focus on academic governance, training programmes, and infrastructure. He said attention will also be given to strengthening the university-entrepreneurship model.

The Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, also presented a statement on the situation of the last academic year within his sector.

According to the Issa Tchiroma, the reduction in training centre fees, following the instructions of the President of the Republic, significantly boosted young people’s interest in vocational skills acquisition. 

He revealed that the number of learners has increased. The minister talked of a growing demand from youths to acquire skills which has resulted in 15,274 professional qualifications awarded.

For vocational training, he said the academic year will start on October 9.  Tchiroma said focus will be on career guidance, active learning, mandatory internships, and skills assessments. 

New projects, he revealed, will see the light of day, plus the streamlining of procedures for employing foreign labour and the construction of new training infrastructure.

Enter basic, secondary education ministers

The Minister of Basic Education, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, revealed an overall attendance rate of 90.2% for teachers and 78.5% for pupils during the second week of the 2024/2025 school year. At the pedagogic level, he reported that nearly 83.7% of the scheduled lessons are already available.

On her part, the Minister of Secondary Education, Prof Nalova Lyonga, presented the administrative, pedagogic, and financial measures implemented for the new school year. 

She also talked about the opening of new government schools and the introduction of several technical courses, such as Fine Arts, Cinematographic Arts and Marine Electromechanics in pilot institutions.

In the North West and South West Regions, both ministers said actions have been taken to regroup learners to safer zones. A similar situation, they also said, is being applied in the Far North Region due to repeated Boko Haram threats and climate-related hazards.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3247 of Wednesday October 02, 2024