Understanding the Educational Structure and National Qualifications Framework in Cameroon
Cameroon has a population of over 25.2 million people and falls into the lower-middle income nation category. The proportion of the population that is comprised of people aged 14 and under accounts for 43% of the total, while around 57% of the entire population lives in urban areas. Its location on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean makes it a neighbour to the countries of Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria, as well as the Central African Republic (CAR).
Cameroon is currently constructing a National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is anticipated to improve the convergence and articulation across subsystems and levels of the current credentials system, as well as to mainstream a competency-based approach to design and get qualifications. This development is expected to take place in tandem with the implementation of a competency-based approach to design and obtain qualifications.
The structure of the education system is characterised by its diversity as well as its complexity. From early childhood education all the way through secondary school, the structure of Cameroon’s educational system is designed to mirror the linguistic dominance of the country’s many regions (French or English).
The establishment of the NQF and its eventual implementation into law have the potential to encourage tighter collaboration between the several ministries that are involved. Authorities and stakeholders agree that a NQF is necessary in order to enhance integration, convergence, and paths for mobility amongst the many sub-sectors that make up the complex structure of education and training. This objective will be helped along by the newly launched initiative titled “Secondary Education and Skills Development.” However, its efficacy will partly be determined by how well it is articulated with the policy aims of all of the relevant ministries, how well stakeholders from the working world buy into it, and how well it responds to the requirements of the nation.
A responsive and adapted National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for Cameroon could help the country recover from Covid-19 if it leads to more people taking advantage of flexible training, better recognition of skills learned on the job, and better ways to connect and move around for lifelong learning. The Covid-19 recovery attempt is connected to a difficult economic and job environment, rising pressure on public finances, and a probable trend to cut expenditures on education. Do you need to verify a qualification obtained in Cameroon? Kindly leave a comment below or contact me at [email protected] for a swift resolution of that verification.
