History of education in Cameroon
Modern schooling reached Cameroon from the coast, with Baptist missionaries coming over from Fernando Po in the 1840s. Successive colonial rulers, German and then French and British, left two distinct legacies that independence and reunification never merged into one. This page traces the main stages, from the first schools in Bimbia and Douala to recent reforms.
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Mission schools (1844-1884)
The Jamaican Baptist missionary Joseph Merrick reached Fernando Po (today's Bioko) in 1843 and visited Bimbia that same year, where King William of the Isubu allowed him to settle. He founded a school there, in 1844 according to English Wikipedia and 1845 according to French Wikipedia, as well as a printing press, and translated parts of the New Testament into Isubu. He died at sea in 1849.
The Englishman Alfred Saker, who came with the same mission, settled in Douala in 1845 and opened a school there; he founded Bethel Baptist Church in 1849. Expelled from Fernando Po by the Spanish authorities in 1858, he founded Victoria, today's Limbe, on land bought from King William of Bimbia. In 1872 he completed the translation of the Bible into Duala. Two schools bear his name today: Saker Baptist College in Limbe and Collège Alfred Saker in Douala.
The German period (1884-1916)
The German protectorate began in 1884. In 1886 the Basel Mission, a Swiss Protestant society, took over from the British Baptists in Cameroon. We have not found a reliable, cross-checked online source on German government schools, their number or the language policy of the time, so this point is not covered in detail here.
Two administrations, two models (1916-1960)
After the First World War, France administered about 80% of the territory and Britain 20%. Each power set up its own schools: the French model and its diplomas in the east, the British model in the west. According to the Cameroon GCE Board, secondary schools in British Southern Cameroons entered their students for Cambridge examinations until 1954, then for the West African School Certificate until reunification.
Independence, reunification and university (1960-1990)
East Cameroon became independent in 1960 and reunited with Southern Cameroons in 1961. The two school systems coexisted without merging. The Federal University of Yaoundé opened in 1962 with French support; it dropped the word 'Federal' in the early 1970s, when the federation ended (in 1972 according to most sources, 1967 according to others). On the English-speaking side, students sat the University of London GCE from 1963 to 1976, until the state created a Cameroonian GCE by decree of 24 November 1976, first sat in June 1977.
A reform launched in 1967 aimed to train Cameroonian teachers. In 1975 the school calendar was unified nationwide. Between 1977 and 1980, the so-called 'new ethics' reform introduced bilingualism, Cameroonian textbooks and rules against exam cheating, according to the Osidimbea encyclopaedia. A separate higher education ministry was created in 1984.
Major reforms (1993-2004)
In 1993 the university reform split the University of Yaoundé into Yaoundé I and Yaoundé II and created the universities of Buea, Douala, Dschang and Ngaoundéré. That same year, Decree No. 93/172 of 1 July 1993 created the Cameroon GCE Board, based in Buea. The national education forum (États généraux de l'éducation) was held in 1995; it led to orientation law No. 98/004 of 14 April 1998, which recognises both subsystems and makes primary school compulsory. State primary school became free in 2000. A higher education orientation law was passed in 2001. In 2004 the former Ministry of National Education was split in two: Basic Education (MINEDUB) and Secondary Education (MINESEC).
Since 2004
University provision expanded: the University of Maroua in 2008, the University of Bamenda in 2010, then the universities of Bertoua, Ebolowa and Garoua, announced by President Paul Biya on 31 December 2021 and created by the decree of 5 January 2022, bringing the number of state universities to 11. In November 2016 teachers in the English-speaking regions joined the lawyers' strike: this was one of the starting points of the Anglophone crisis, which closed many schools in the North-West and South-West. The bachelor-master-doctorate (LMD) system was introduced in state universities from the 2007-2008 academic year, according to research published by CODESRIA. In 2024 MINESEC launched the cartescolaire.cm digital platform for paying school fees electronically.
Timeline of key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1844 or 1845 | Joseph Merrick opens a school in Bimbia |
| 1845 | Alfred Saker settles in Douala and founds a school there |
| 1858 | Saker founds Victoria (Limbe) |
| 1872 | Complete Bible translated into Duala |
| 1884 | German protectorate begins |
| 1886 | The Basel Mission arrives in Cameroon |
| Until 1954 | Cambridge examinations in Southern Cameroons |
| 1954 | Switch to the West African School Certificate |
| 1962 | Federal University of Yaoundé opens |
| 1963-1976 | University of London GCE in the English-speaking schools |
| 1967 | Reform to train Cameroonian teachers |
| 1975 | Unified school calendar |
| 1977 | First session of the Cameroonian GCE |
| 1984 | A higher education ministry is created |
| 1993 | University reform; Cameroon GCE Board created |
| 1995 | National education forum |
| 14 April 1998 | Education orientation law No. 98/004 |
| 2000 | State primary school becomes free |
| 2001 | Higher education orientation law |
| 2004 | MINEDUB and MINESEC created |
| 2007-2008 | LMD system begins in state universities |
| 2008 and 2010 | Universities of Maroua (2008) and Bamenda (2010) |
| November 2016 | Teachers' strike in the English-speaking regions |
| January 2022 | Universities of Bertoua, Ebolowa and Garoua |
| 2024 | MINESEC's cartescolaire.cm platform |
Frequently asked questions
What was the first school in Cameroon?
The school opened in Bimbia by the Jamaican Baptist missionary Joseph Merrick, in 1844 or 1845 depending on the source, is generally cited as the country's first modern school.
Why does Cameroon have two education systems?
Because the territory was divided after 1916 between France and Britain, each of which brought its own school system. The 1998 law kept both subsystems in the name of biculturalism.
When did primary school become free in Cameroon?
In 2000, for state primary schools. Families still pay the PTA levy, uniforms, supplies and some textbooks.
What was Cameroon's first university?
The Federal University of Yaoundé, opened in 1962. It was split in 1993 into the universities of Yaoundé I and Yaoundé II.
What is Cameroon's 1998 education law?
Law No. 98/004 of 14 April 1998 on the orientation of education: it sets the aims of schooling, enshrines bilingualism, makes primary school compulsory and organises the system into two subsystems, French- and English-speaking.
Handle with care
The year of Merrick's first school in Bimbia differs between sources (1844 or 1845). Most sources date the university reform to 1993, but English Wikipedia puts the decree making Buea a university in 1992. Details of German-era schooling are not confirmed by any reliable online source and are therefore not given. The year the university dropped the name 'Federal' varies between sources (1967 or 1972).