Cintia A. , Lebledparle.com
In a recent communiqué, teachers in Cameroon have voiced concerns over poor working conditions, making a list of demands the if the government failed to comply, a week long strike action will take effect on April the same resumption date of third term. In other to prevent such from happening on March 26, 2025, an interministerial meeting led by Jacques Fame Ndongo once again addressed these longstanding issues, leading to renewed assurances from the state.
After the meeting the ministry of higher education released a communiqué that contained the decision that were arrived at during the gathering and it was agreed that;
– The Ministry of Finance will settle salary arrears amounting to FCFA 277.4 billion, covering teachers under MINESEC and MINEDUB. This is meant to address unpaid wages and allowances that have been a major source of frustration.
– There will be an improvement in teacher recruitment: The government announced a simplified and digitized process to speed up the integration of new teachers, reducing processing time from 24 months to under three months.
-Clarifications were made on the difference between “special” and “particular” statuses, with the latter being adopted as the preferred framework. A proposal for finalizing this status will be submitted to MINFOPRA by March 31, 2025.
– The risky situation of contract teachers, particularly those referred to as “travailleurs des parents,” was discussed, with commitments made to define their employment terms more clearly.
– Resolution of GCE Board and Baccalaureate Office Debts: Teachers involved in these examinations have faced delayed payments. The government assured that arrears for the GCE Board would be paid by March 31, 2025,
– Recruitment and promotion challenges: The freezing of recruitments and slow promotion processes were addressed, with the government promising to activate the AIGLES system to automate advancements.
While these decisions appear promising, they are strikingly similar to the commitments made during the teachers’ strike in 2023. Back then, authorities also pledged to clear salary arrears, resolve recruitment delays, and improve conditions, yet many of these promises were never fully implemented. Months after the meeting, the urgency of their concerns gradually faded, and the government’s commitments lost momentum. The fear now is that this cycle might likely play out again and many think it’s just a strategy from the government to buy time and prevent teachers from fulfilling their threats. The government will have to offer long term solutions and act accordingly because it will be an abuse by the state to prevent the teachers from eating their proceeds while they struggle to give knowledge. Cameroonians are on the watch to see how things plan out.
