Editorial: Urgent need for overhaul of higher education.

The Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, who doubles as Chancellor of Academic Orders, Prof. Jacques Fame Ndongo, explained that the 2023/2024 academic year marked the beginning of the transition towards entrepreneurial universities, as stipulated by Law No. 2023/007 of 25 July 2023 on the orientation of higher education in Cameroon.

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

Fame Ndongo explained that in the new academic year, 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.

Later at the 2024 University Coordination Commission meeting held in Yaounde, Minister Fame Ndongo explained that the session was “structured around concrete concerns considered fundamental parameters, not only for the materialisation of the concepts of University-Enterprise and Student- Entrepreneur, but also a push for the digitalisation revolution ongoing in the entire Higher Education System”.

He added that the “New Higher Education Policy, promulgated into Law by the President of the Republic, Head of State, Paul Biya on July 25, 2024, and the E-National Higher Education Network project,” would strengthen the value of training.

Reacting to the instructions from the minister on the need for digitalisation of the training process, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, UB, Prof Horace Ngomo Manga, said they were far advanced in the implementation of the guidelines.

“For us at the University of Buea, digital transformation didn’t start with the construction of the digital centres. The centre only came to intensify the digitalisation of the university processes. Here, we are talking about the processing of marks, delivery of certificates and the keeping of all data in the system,” Prof Ngemo said.

In meetings, be it at the Prime Minister's Office or at the Ministry of Higher Education, discourses often project the higher education system in the country with a pass grade. 

But in a competitive world made a "global village" by information and telecommunication technologies, The Guardian Post firmly believes there is urgent need for a major overhaul of Cameroon's higher education.

Of the 200 top universities in Africa for this year as classified by UniRank, not even one of the 226 universities or institutions qualified as such, makes the list!

UniRank, which has internationally been recognised for its credibility in ranking universities, took into consideration the following selection criteria: “Being chartered, licensed or accredited by the appropriate national  higher education-related organisation, offering at least three-year bachelor's degrees or postgraduate master's or doctoral degrees delivering courses predominantly in a traditional, non-distance education format".

In a separate listing of universities in the country, it puts the first 10 as: University of Buea, University of Dschang, Catholic University of Yaounde, University of Douala, University of Ngaoundere.

The other top five are University of Yaoundé II, University of Yaounde I, University of Maroua, University of Bamenda and Université des Montagnes. 

The government cannot question the rankings, particularly at the continental level. Based on the poor performance of the institutions, the Ministry of Higher Education, last year, instructed Rectors and Vice-Chancellors of all 11 State Universities, to halt PhD admissions, until new conditions laid down by the government have been met.

Fame Ndonge explained that most community problems are solved through research in technology science, engineering, economy, industry and innovations in agriculture. 

“Our PhD holders in Cameroon, unfortunately, have not been doing that. I think that is the aspect that government wants to correct,” he said. 

There have even been allegations that a top administrator attended classes only once but was conferred with a terminal degree.

This year, in a major decision to avoid such scandals that devalue certificates issued in the country and to streamline and standardise the training of health personnel, the Minister ordered that admission for the 2024/2025 academic year for HND/BTS programmes in Medical and Biomedical Science specialties should be temporarily suspended.

However, the suspension does not affect current students moving to Level 200 and Level 300, who will be allowed to complete their studies, following the existing training curricula for paramedical institutions in Cameroon and one-year top-up degree programmes, which will remain open for admission.

The Guardian Post applauds such innovations in higher education, but the government needs a massive overhaul to ensure that higher institutions of learning meet international standards in infrastructure, laboratories, staffing, independence from politics and finance for research.

At the moment, Cameroon’s higher institutions are comparatively lagging, producing questionable certificates, which explains why of the 200 top universities in Africa, not even one from Cameroon is among!

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3248 of Thursday October 03, 2024