Understanding the Cameroon of Tomorrow
With a population of 17.5 million inhabitants from the third Cameroon population census 2005, the demographic perspectives of this population indicate 21.9 million inhabitants in 2015, 27.5 million inhabitants in 2025 and 34.0 million inhabitants in 2035. This population momentum gathers with it several forces that could directly impact on individuals as well as on the society as a whole. The focus of this article is on strategic education, and how it shall impact on the Cameroon society.
There are two sub-systems of education in Cameroon. The Anglophone sub-system which follows the system of education operational in the English speaking part of the country before unification and the Francophone sub-system which follows the system of education practiced in the French speaking part of the country before unification. Each of the sub-systems is allowed by the law on education to develop its distinctive features. However, the Ministries of Education (basic, secondary, tertiary) set the broad line educational policy that applies to both sub-systems. Both sub-systems are free to operate in any part of the country and parents choose which sub-system they want their children to follow. The two sub-systems go from nursery education to the tertiary level and have very distinctive features with respect to their internal structures and organization. As used in Cameroon, Anglophone refers to individuals of North West and South West origin, while Francophone refers to the others. The concepts apply more to territory than they do apply to language.
The tendency today is for most Francophones, especially in urban areas to prefer sending their children to the English sub-system. The English system of education is greatly cherished by the francophones to the extent that English educational institutions (nursery, primary, secondary, tertiary) are flooded by their children. Most francophone families especially in urban centres have at least one child in an English educational institution. These children tend to perform very well in this system, and sometimes even perform better than the Anglophones. They tend to master the English language and other aspects of the English culture very well, and many of them begin from nursery to the tertiary levels of education. The Anglophone parents on the other hand do not send their children to french speaking institutions, and so the possibility of their children mastering the French language as the Francophones master English is greatly reduced. That is the situation that obtains in the two systems of education from nursery to high school. Let us get to tertiary education.
In Cameroon, there exist two types of state universities. The "Bilingual Universities" which are found in the French speaking regions and the "Anglo-Saxon Universities" which are found in the English speaking regions.
In the Anglo-Saxon universities, lectures are exclusively in English and Francophones are given the possibility to undergo special training programs in English to facilitate their access to lectures in English. Francophones who attends such universities encounter very few or no problems. In fact they graduate from these universities not only with the academic degrees, but equally with all the essentials of the Anglo-Saxon system – English language and the English University traditions. They acquire a total mastery of the two languages. They can read, write, speak, listen, and think in English and French. They are functionally bilingual.
On the other hand, the bilingual universities give the impression that lectures are delivered in the two official languages whereas in reality they are delivered almost entirely in French. Anglophones who attend such universities ecounter multifarious problems throughout their studies. They graduate from such universities with little or no improvement in French, and they are neither versed with the French nor English university traditions.
In a case study carried out by Kouega in the University of Yaoundé II, Soa, on "Bilingualism at Tertiary level Education in Cameroon":
It was revealed that the language of interaction on campus is predominantly French. French was the only language used by University officials to communicate with students, even when these officials were English-speaking. Notices are generally written in French, except those dealing with fees.
In the Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, courses from Level 1 through 3 are taught in French (100%), meaning that Anglophones reading Economics must struggle in all possible ways to succeed. There is not a single setting where the type of bilingualism envisaged by Cameroon legislators seems to be striving in this University. Official bilingualism seems to negatively affect the assimilation of content knowledge by learners.
One of the ways that Anglophones use to survive in some of the Bilingual Universities is to enroll in some groups which translate lecture notes from French to English and explain them to students. These groups are created by students in Masters and PHD programmes who are out maybe to facilitate learning to the Anglophones in a way. A student will enroll in this group for a certain amount of money per semester and buy the translated notes as is the case in the University of Yaoundé II, SOA. This implies that at the tertiary level the Anglophones who attend such universities may not get a mastery of the French language at all.
The English Sub system provides all the facilities needed by the Francophones to obtain adequate education in the Anglo-Saxon Universities. The French Sub system does the contrary for the Anglophones in the so called bilingual universities. The only option left for Anglophones is to explore the French language deeply beginning from primary education. This implies that the present attitude where the Anglophones tend to get in contact with the French language mainly for survival purposes must disappear. Although the Anglophones may tend to speak French often, they do so mainly for survival purposes. Majority of them have very little mastery of this language for functional purposes. They themselves describe the French they speak as "Mokolo French".
Government policy on secondary technical education has paid and continues to pay prompt attention mainly to the French sub system of education. The French sub system is adequately organised and responds promptly to the changing times. The English sub system on the other is in a total mess. Government appears to be less interested in the problems affecting this sub system. The problems are numerous and Anglophones talk about them virtually everyday in different mediums of communication. Cities like Yaoundé and Douala do not offer any institutions for secondary technical education in English despite the pressing demands for such institutions. This implies that the numerous Anglophones children in these cities are deprived of technical education.
We must understand these situations and act accordingly so as to provide the minimum chances for the children tomorrow. It is a situation that is visible for those who want to see and the implications are very clear for the Cameroon of tomorrow.
- They are the Cameroonians East of the Mungo who will understand and operate better in the two systems;
- They are the ones who will likely master the two official languages better, especially for functional purposes;
- They will of course qualify for most of the high level jobs both at home and abroad.
It is wise for the Anglophone parents to encourage their children to intensify the study of the French language and even make attempts to explore the French system as well. These children must be capable and willing to study in the professional institutions, most of which are in French. Anglophone children are virtually absent from some of our important schools such as: Polytechnique yaoundé, Faculty of industrial engineering Douala, school of statistics (ISSEA) Yaundé, African computer institute (IAI), school of demography (FORD) etc. In fact, French should not be an impediment for any child intending to pursue studies in any institution in Cameroon.
Today there is an acute deficit of Anglophones in several important professions in Cameroon. For instance, if you get into the records of the Cameroon society, you will find very few or no Anglophones in some highly skilled professions (statistics, demography, engineering etc). If great efforts are not made today to overcome these shortcomings, Anglophones shall find themselves greatly marginalised tomorrow, more than they may think they are today. The trend of events tends to project that situation very clearly for those who may have eyes to see.
The Francophones stand in a highly privileged position to confront the challenges of tomorrow. This position has been made possible by an attitude of most francophone parents who tend to educate their children in the two systems of education in Cameroon. A favourable policy in Anglo-Saxon Universities where Francophones are given special language training to permit them confront lectures in English go to reinforce this position. Government policy in secondary technical education has paid greater attention to the French sub system thereby giving the children of this system all the chances to mastering technology. On the other hand, the Anglophones are yet to device strategies that could permit them face the challenges of tomorrow. The unfavourable climate in the Cameroon Bilingual Universities goes to reinforce the inability of the Anglophones in meeting these obvious challenges. Secondary technical education in the English sub system went into a comma since unification, and Government has been less interested in most of the problems affecting this system. The challenges for the Cameroon of tomorrow shall be easily conquered by those who are highly skilled and functionally bilingual.
Nsom Joseph
BUCREP - Yaounde
BP 12932 Yaounde
Telephone: 77218948
You can take a child out of the village. But you cannot take the village out of the child.
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