Universal access to education – The Case of Cameroon

Cameroon provides free and compulsory primary education for children aged 6 to 12, as established by the 1996 Constitution and implemented since 2000. Despite these efforts to promote universal access, significant barriers persist, including high poverty rates, reliance on PTA fees, infrastructure shortages in rural areas, and the exclusion of children with disabilities.

Key Aspects of Universal Education in Cameroon:

Legal Framework & Structure: Education is compulsory and free in public primary schools. The system is dual-based, comprising both English-speaking and French-speaking subsystems.

Progress and Initiatives: The government and international partners, such as UNESCO, have worked to improve access by training teachers and providing textbooks. An Emergency Response Plan was initiated in 2019 to aid school-age children in conflict-affected regions.

Persistent Barriers:

Financial Constraints: While tuition is free, costs for uniforms, books, and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) fees remain barriers for many families.
Infrastructural Gaps: Overcrowded classrooms, lack of sanitation, and inadequate facilities are common, particularly in remote regions.
Regional Inequality: The rural-urban divide in access to quality education remains, with rural areas lagging behind.
Conflict Impact: The crisis in the North West and South West regions has severely affected school attendance.

Challenges in Equity: Children with disabilities are often excluded from mainstream education, highlighting a gap in achieving true universal access.

While enrollment rates have improved, achieving universal, high-quality, and equitable education remains an ongoing challenge for Cameroon.