The move is aimed at fighting the disturbing rise in the number of absentees teachers in secondary schools across the country.
The Minister of Secondary Education, Prof Nalova Lyonga has called on teachers believed to have been practicing absenteeism to present themselves at the ministry in Yaoundé and justify their teaching activities. In a release dated January 27, 2025, the member of government urged the alleged absentee teachers to come up with the clarifications or face consequences if they fail to do so. The teachers, per the release, are required to submit their job position mapping forms, duly signed by their hierarchy. The directive aims to allow these teachers to present necessary documents that justify their current administrative status, as there have been concerns about the high number of teachers who have left their duty posts vacant but continue to receive their salaries.
This also come after by Prof Nalova made a surprise tour around some secondary schools in Yaoundé and placed sanctions on some of the institutions in a bid to cleanse the sector. The move by the minister is part of efforts to address the issue of teacher absenteeism and ensure that public funds are used efficiently in the education sector. The Littoral Region has over a third of them and emerges as the region with the highest number of absentee teachers.
Schools concerned in the North Wes Region are Government Technical High School, GTHS Bafut with nine, Government Technical College Jakiri with three, Government Bilingual High School Jakiri with one, Government Secondary School Melim in Kumbo and the Cameroon College of Arts and Sciences and Technology, CCAST Bambili with one each and a good number of others.
This new order is expected to help the ministry keep track of the whereabouts and administrative status of all teachers, eliminate the unserious once, ensuring that those who are absent are properly accounted for and that their salaries are adjusted accordingly. The Minister’s decision is part of a broader effort to improve the quality of education in Cameroon and ensure that students receive the instruction they deserve from their teachers.
