Two hundred and sixty-two illegal schools have been closed in Cameroon for the 2019/2020 academic year, the start of which is scheduled for Monday, September 2, the Ministries of Basic Education and Secondary Education announce in a joint statement.
Two hundred of these ‘clendestine’ schools are under nursery and primary education and 62 colleges, according to the statement seen by APA on Wednesday.
Among the reasons given for the mass closures are “the lack of extension of unauthorized cycles, lack of location of sites, but also, dangerous premises and unhealthiness.”
The closures affect the country’s ten regions, but also the Littoral region which is the most affected with more than 118 learning institutions shut down.
Enrollment for the upcoming school year has already begun in some schools, all of which are required to have a declaration of establishment and opening, in order to function.
Each year, when the school year approaches, the ministries of Basic Education and Secondary Education publish the list of schools barred from functioning.
Although forbidden, some still manage to function, NGOs like Afric Avenir lament, blaming this situation on corruption in the education sector.
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