School Resumption : Prime Minister Instructs Dev’t of Structural Programmes

“A cabinet meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, His Excellency Joseph Dion Ngute, was held on Thursday, 28 August 2025, at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Prime  Minister's Office, with the participation of Ministers of State, Ministers, Ministers Delegate, and Secretaries of State.
The following items featured on the agenda:
1.    Statement by the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education on "the progress of the
2024/2025 academic year and prospects for improving higher education";
2.    Statement by the Minister of Basic Education on "the review of the 2024/2025 academic year and back-to-school preparations for nursery and primary education",
3.    Miscellaneous.
Following the introductory statement by the Head of Government, the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, reported that the 2024/2025 academic year commenced on 7 October 2024 and ended on 31 July 2025, with an overall programme coverage rate of about 80%. Teaching activities were conducted in a climate of social peace, fostered by the promotion of dialogue and the regular holding of university consultation forums. Meanwhile, the Presidential Programme for the construction of the universities of Bertoua, Ebolowa, and Garoua, along with the programme supporting professional and faculty technology components, continued to progress steadily, with specific budgetary allocations in place. The Minister of State also stressed that the implementation of the various provisions of the law on higher education policy remained a priority, particularly with regard to strengthening university—business partnerships and improving the overall higher education framework. In addition, the special recruitment of young doctorate/PhD holders has contributed to improving the student—teacher ratio. 
In any case, it is now clear that the fundamental principles guiding public service in higher education are centred on equity in access to education, the professionalisation of training, quality assurance in the university environment, and educational innovation that integrates digitalisation and entrepreneurship. Compliance with these principles will be a key requirement during the 2025/2026 academic year, scheduled to begin On 6 October 2025.
Speaking second, the Minister of Basic Education reviewed the results of the 2024/2025 school year. He noted that in the sub-sector under his responsibility, administrative activities were effectively coordinated and, on the teaching front, a combination of favourable factors led to a national syllabus coverage rate of approximately 94.75%, as well as satisfactory performance in examinations and official examinations. Accordingly, national pass rates stood at 91.5% for the Certificat d 'Etudes Primaires (CEP), 97.31% for the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), and 93 25% for the Common Entrance Examination (CEE).
The Minister further observed that these national trends were largely reflected in the North West and South West Regions, where the concerted efforts of various stakeholders have fostered significant progress towards a gradual return to normalcy.
Furthermore, it emerged that, in order to achieve the objectives assigned to this sub-sector, the strategy adopted is structured around several key areas: the allocation of operating funds to schools and the provision of a minimum package to advance the goal of free public primary education; the settlement of arrears in examination fees owed to teachers; and the construction-of school infrastructure. In the same vein, a subsidy of CFAF 4 billion has been earmarked for 2025 in favour of private primary and nursery schools.
In preparation for the 2025/2026 school year, administrative activities have been duly organised. In this respect, particular mention was made of the work carried out by the National Commission for Private Basic Education. In the short and medium term, measures include the organisation of refresher seminars for newly recruited teachers, the continuation of the process of issuing birth certificates to pupils without birth certificates, and the maintenance of constructive dialogue with teachers' unions. Furthermore, the official list of textbooks has been published, along with the calendar for the 2025/2026 school year, which, by joint decree with the Minister of Secondary Education, sets the start date of classes for 8 September 2025.
With regard to the secondary education sub-sector, the Minister reported that most activities during  the 2024/2025 school focused on establishing mechanisms to better harness artificial intelligence in teaching and learning with a view to enhancing student performance. Overall, statistics indicate a national programme coverage rate of 89.8% for in-person leaching and 53.16% for remote learning. The pass rates for examinations and official examinations in the 2025 session showed significant improvemen...