Cameroon - Education sector memorandum (Vol. 1 of 2) : Main report

Document of FILE COPY The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. 2229-CM CAMEROON EDUCATION SECTOR MEMORANDUM Volume I: Main Report Appendices I - III December 13, 1978 Western Africa Projects Department Education Division This document has a restricted diLstribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Currency Unit: CFAF Franc Fixed Parity: 50 CFAF = I FF The following exchange rates have been used in this report: 1976/77 US$ 1 = CFAF 248 CFAF 1,000 = US$ 4.03 1975/76 = CFAF 225 = US$ 4.44 1970/71 = CFAF 278 = US$ 3.60 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 1 meter (m) 2 3.28 ft 1 square meter (m ) 10.76 sq. ft. 1 hectare (ha) = 2.47 acres FISCAL YEAR June 30 - July 1  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY CAMEROON EDUCATION SECTOR MEMORANDUM Table of Contents Page No. VOLUME I Abbreviations Basic Data I. Introduction .............................................. 1 II. Socio-Economic Setting .................................... 2 III. Principal Issues and Gaps in the Education Sector .... ..... 3 Manpower and Employment ................................... 3 Access to Education ....................................... 4 Internal Efficiency ....................................... 5 Education Expenditures .................................... 7 Educational Planning and Administration ................... 7 IV. Government Policies and Plans for Education .... ........... 8 V. Investment Priorities and Bank Strategy ................... 11 Past and Current Foreign Investment ....................... 12 Areas for Future Bank Involvement ......................... 13 Future Sector and Project Preparation Work Program .... .... 14 Appendices I. The Cameroon Education System II. Education Finance and Expenditure III. Comparative Education Indicators VOLUME II Statistical Appendix This document has a restricted distribution cnd may be used by recipients only in the performance Of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization   CAMEROON EDUCATION SECTOR MEMORANDUM ABBREVIATIONS BEPC Brevet d'4tudes du premier cycle CAP Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle CEG, CES College d'enseignement gene'ral, College d'enseignement secondaire CENAFOP Centre national de formation professionelle CET Collage d'enseignement technique CFJA Centre de formation des jeunes agriculteurs CNE Centre national d' education CRA College regional d'agriculture CUSS Centre universitaire des sciences de la sante' ENSA ]3cole nationale superieure agronomique ENSP Ecole nationale superieure polytechnique ENI Ecole normale d'instituteurs ENIA ]3cole normale d'instituteurs adjoints ENS Ecole normale superieure ETA Ecole technique d'agriculture GCE General Certificate of Education IPAR Institut de pedagogie appliquee a vocation rurale ITA [nstitut des techniques agricoles LT Lycee technique MEN/Mineduc Minist'ere de l'gducation nationale SAR Section artisanale rurale SM Section menagere   CAMEROON BASIC DATA General Area 475,000 km Population (April 1976) 7.66 of which urban 2.18 million (28.5%) Labor Force 2.7 million GNP per capita (1976) US$314 Education (1976/77) A. Enrollments/Teachers Teachers (public only) Enrollments % Teacher:Pupil % (% private) girls ratio Cameroonian Primary 1,157,000 (41%) 45 52 100 General Secondary 120,200 (52%) 31 28 85 (first cycle) (99,500)(55%) 33 30 90 (second cycle) (20,700)(38%) 22 23 75 Technical 34,000 (77%) 37 15 76 (first cycle) (28,900)(86%) 37 17 84 (second cycle) (5,100)(47%) 37 12 57 Primary Teaching Traini.ng 1,310 n.a. 8 83 University of Yaounde 8,220 11 16 75 Net primary enrollment ratio : 60% (57% excluding Koranic schools) B. Education Finance (1976/77) Recurrent cov7 Distribution of Ministry of per student - Education Recurrent Budget (%) 'Primary US$ 32 39 General Secondary 235 23 Technical 325 4 :Primary Teacher Training 2,920 5 lJniversity of Yaounde 1,870 23 Administration 6 100 % GDP devoted to education expenditures: - central government only 3.6% - including foreign aid and private contribution 6.0% % of current government expenditure devoted to education 22.5% 1/ Public education only at US$1 = CFAF 248 (1976/77 fiscal year prevailing rate)   CAMEROON EDUCATION SECTOR MEMORANDUM I. INTRODUCTION 1.01 The Cameroonian system of general education follows the English pattern in the northwest and southwest provinces (Anglophone Cameroon) and the French pattern in the five other provinces (Francophone Cameroon). The struc- ture in Anglophone Cameroon consists of seven years of primary school and a secondary program divided into a five-year lower cycle and a two-year upper cycle. In Francophone Cameroon, a 6 + 4 + 3 system prevails. Technical education is also provided at the lower secondary level in both systems and at the upper secondary level in Francophone Cameroon. The Ministry of National Education (MEN) is responsible for all levels of the formal education system, including technical and university study. Administration of vocational train- ing and upgrading centers (industrial and commercial) is the responsibility oDf the Ministry of Labor. 1.02 Since the independence of Cameroon in 1960, the Government has made important strides in the expansion of education opportunities. Enrollments have been increased at all levels and a university has been built, while costs have been kept largely under control. However, in spite of the MEN's desire to harmonize the two education systems inherited from the colonial period, the Anglophone and Francophone systems still differ in structure, curricula, examinations and language of instruction. Preoccupation with resolution of regional problems has prevented the establishment of comprehensive national planning. As a result, the education system is plagued with a number of serious problems. These include: (i) uncontrolled enrollment growth which has outpaced provision of facilitiei; and qualified teachers; (ii) absence of lLnkages between the education system and the industrial sector to ensure equilibrium of manpower supply and demand; and (iii) geographical:Ly skewed access to education. These imbalances are lLkely to impede the rational development of the education system if policies are not established and/or measures taken to deal with them. 1.03 This sector miemorandum is based on data collected and discussions held during missions to Cameroon in February and October 1978. The missions consisted of Ms. J. Edstrom (economist) and Mr. W. Cooper (technical educator), with the participation of Messrs. J. Crosnier (agricultural educator) and H. Buzenet (general educator, consultant) during the February mission. The memorandum is based on a relatively weak foundation of quantitative sector knowledge due to (a) tlhe absence of an education statistical yearbook since  - 2 - the 1974/75 school year; (b) the unavailability of detailed data from the 1976 national census; and (c) the lack of labor force surveys and, in particular, time series data on the labor force. The mission relied largely on informa- tion provided in the five-year development plan (1976-1980) and by the MEN. Because no general sector study has been undertaken since a 1971 Unesco sector survey, the memorandum seeks to review briefly the education system in its entirety and to provide a more extensive statistical appendix than normal for a sector memorandum in order to assist the Government in updating and con- solidating its education statistics. II. SOCIO-ECONOMIC SETTING 2.01 Cameroon ha5 a population of about 7.7 million (1976) and covers an area of 475,000 km . The country's natural resources are considerable and varied but not always easily accessible. Agriculture, including forestry and livestock, accounts for 35 percent of GDP and over 70 percent of exports. In the late 1960s, GDP increased at a high rate of 7.6 percent p.a., but dropped to only 2.5 percent p.a. in the early 1970s due to drought conditions in the north, worldwide recession and unfavorable terms of trade. Per capita GNP reached about US$300 in 1976. 2.02 The main opportunities for development in Cameroon lie in the expan- sion of agricultural production, including forestry, and the processing of agricultural and forestry products for export. Factors which complicate the agricultural development effort include the dispersion of Cameroon's main economic and population centers which are separated by vast underpopuLated areas, its regional and institutional diversity, the competition between export and cash food crops for the dwindling agricultural labor in some parts of the country, the dependence of a substantial part of public revenue and savings on cocoa and coffee, and the limited availability of skilled technical agents and administrators. Nonetheless GDP growth is expected to accelerate substantially in the medium term due not only to recovery in cocoa, coffee and log prices but also to increases in manufacturing and mining production and rapid growth in construction activities and services. The latter will he the result of greater anticipated investment activities thanks to rapid income growth. 2.03 Cameroon's Fourth Economic and Social Development Plan (1976-1980) supports the importance of agricultural development, allocating 16 percent of total investment to the sector. The Government attaches high priority to regional distribution of agricultural development and to a sound balance between improving conditions in the traditional sector and promoting planta- tion agriculture, including smallholder schemes. Transport infrastructure continues to represent the largest share of the fourth plan investment budget (26 percent) due to the need to link Cameroon's dispersed economic centers and to strengthen its position as a regional transport and trade center. Other important investment sectors are manufacturing and mining (22 percent of the investment budget, a substantial part of which is in oil exploitation) and  - 3 - social infrastructure and urban development each accounting for 7 percent of the budget. Behind these investment targets are government objectives to stimulate investment by local entrepreneurs, increase employment in urban areas and improve the efficiency of Cameroon's institutions. III. PRINCI?AL ISSUES AND GAPS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR Manpower and Employment 3.01 The 1976 census shows that the Cameroonian labor force totaled 2.7 m,illion that year, of a total population of 7.7 million. Almost 80 percent of the labor force are employed in agriculture; only 6.7 percent are employed in the secondary sector and the remainder are in the service sector. In 1976, unemployment was estimated to average 12 percent in urban areas. The census does not delineate between modern and traditional sector distribution of the labor force; however, modern sector employment probably represents at least 12 percent of the labor force. 3.02 Despite rapid growth of enrollments since independence, output from the education system has been unable to keep pace with the economy's skilled manpower requirements. Surveys show that the proportion of Cameroonians in higher level jobs remained unchanged between 1971 and 1974. In'1974, non- Cameroonians held 88 percent of all management posts and 72 percent of pro- fessional posts in the private and parapublic sector. 3.03 Global manpower supply and demand figures, inconclusive though they may be given the exceedingly fragmentary nature of manpower and education output data, indicate that Cameroon can theoretically begin to meet high and middle level manpower requirements during the current 1976-1980 development plan period. Modern Sector Manpower Supply and Demand 1976-1980 Level of Manpower Requirements Supply Source Eigh 4,200 5,000 Post-secondary graduates Middle (incl. skilled) 39,000 47,500 Upper secondary school leavers Low (incl. unskilled) 75,800 790,000 School leavers, grades 1-10 Total 119,000 842,500 Since the above figures do not include replacement of expatriates, the surplus supply should allow the country to step up its efforts to Cameroonianize the higher level occupations, assuming those trained are from appropriate fields cf study. It should also permit an overall upgrading of the labor force through a general increase in the level of education at all skill levels.  - 4- 3.04 Unfortunately, it is likely that graduates will not be trained in sufficient numbers for those fields where manpower requirements are most pressing. Meeting high level requirements appears improbable since at least 50 percent of university graduates are expected to be in the fields of law or humanities. While university enrollments grew by 50 percent between 1974/75 and 1977/78, 85 percent of the increase was due to growth of the law faculty, which now represents fully one-half of university enrollments. At the middle level, only 20 percent of the output to the labor market will be graduates of technical, vocational or general secondary schools; 60 percent will be upper secondary school leavers (dropouts plus those who complete the program but do not obtain a diploma), and the remainder dropouts from other programs. 3.05 Even those who obtain technical or vocational diplomas will be poorly equipped for the job market. Fields of specialization in vocational schools and proportions of students enrolled in each have remained virtually unchanged since independence. Equipment is severely outdated, teachers lack technical qualifications, and classes are crowded. Liaison between employers and the MEN is nonexistent. Almost 90 percent of employers recently surveyed by an ILO team report dissatisfaction with the output of vocational/ technical schools, largely because the students lack enough practical manipulation experience and motivation toward manual work. 3.06 The nine of every ten grade 1-10 school leavers who will not find jobs in the modern sector will need to adjust their expectations to rural or informal sector employment, or face unemployment. The latter is of growing concern to the Government since demographic data reveal rapid growth of the urban population of working age, which increased from 24 to 35 percent of the total working-age population between 1970 and 1974. This implies virtual stagnation of the rural labor force and the risk of future labor shortages in some rural areas. To sustain growth in the primary sector, measures are required to improve the attractiveness of farming and farm-related occupations. These will likely need to include an increase in rural employment and training opportunities, agricultural incomes, and rural amenities. To increase farmer productivity, training of extension personnel for primary sector production-- agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry--needs to be expanded and new agricultural technologies need to be developed. Strengthening rural services and amenities also has manpower training implications, i.e., the need to train service personnel such as health and community development workers. Access to Education 3.07 The 1976 national census has revealed that access to education in Cameroon is more limited than was earlier believed, due to previous under- estimation of both the size of the age group and the proportion of over- and under-aged children in total enrollments. Until recently it was estimated that 74 percent of the 6-11 year age group (6-12 in Anglophone Cameroon) was enrolled in primary school. However, the census shows that in 1975/76 the net primary enrollment rate was only 60 percent (57 percent excluding Koranic  - 5 - schools) 1/. Given the current level of participation and the financial, cul- t:ural and personnel barriers to rapid acceleration of the rate of enrollment growth, it is unlikely that Cameroon will achieve universal primary education before the mid-1990s. 3.08 There is considerable regional variation in enrollment rates, with 88 percent of the age group enrolled in the south-central (Yaoundeg) region, versus only 29 percent in the north where 27 percent of the 6-11 year age group live. Despite government efforts to increase enrollments in the north, cultural and economic patterns have kept participation rates low. The impact of the low participation rates in the north on national statistics is consider- able: the enrollment rate of all provinces except the north averages 70 percent, in contrast to the 60 percent national rate. Regional distribution of secondary enrollments in relation to regional distribution of total popula- tion is heavily skewed toward the south-central region, with the density of enrollments vis-a-vis the population more than double the national average and 12 times greater than the density in the north. :3.09 Compared with other West African countries, girls are relatively well represented in primary school, constituting 45 percent of enrollments in 1975/76, versus 42 percent in 1969/70 and 38 percent in 1964-68. As might be expected, their participation is lowest in the north, at 26 percent of enroll- ments, and ranges from 40 to 48 percent in the other provinces. The proportion of girls in lower secondary, upper secondary and technical education is 33, 22 and 37 percent respectively. tnternal Efficiency 3.10 Internal efficiency has improved since the beginning of the decade: in primary education, promotion rates are up and dropout and repeater rates are down. Efficiency is still low: 11.4 pupil-years are required to produce one completer of the six-year program in Francophone Cameroon, down from 14.3 for the 1966-1971 cohort, representing an increase in efficiency of 25 percent. ]?art of the increase, however, may be due to social promotion rather than to real increases in achievement. Furthermore, dropout is still high, with less than half the cohort reaching grade 6. Promotion rates within the two general secondary cycles are relatively high, and about one-half of those completing the lower cycle continue at the upper secondary level. But to the extent that secondary school prepares students substantively and psychologically for the baccalaureat, efficiency is low: only 6 percent of those entering the first year of secondary schocol ultimately pass the baccalaureat examination. 1/ Extrapolated from census age distribution data. The census demographers use a 6-14 year age group and count children at all levels of education; they arrive at an enrollment rate of 67.5 percent. However, the dis- parity between census and MEN figures implies that any estimate of the enrollment rate is subject to a large margin of error. The census figures indicate that primary enrollments are 14 percent higher than the official enrollment figures, but that 6-11 year olds constitute only 60.3% of total primary enrollments, versus 65% indicated by 1973/74 MEN data. Based solely on census data, the primary enrollment rate (including Koranic, enrollments) would be about 63 percent.  - 6 - 3.11 Shortage of qualified teachers, especially at the primary level, remains an important constraint to improving efficiency. Less than one-half of the primary teaching force have any training, and of these one-third have only a primary education plus rudimentary professional instruction. Low qualifications coupled with a teacher/pupil ratio of 1:52 work to lower the quality of primary education. The situation in secondary education is not a great deal better: more than one-third of general secondary teachers and two-thirds of lower secondary technical teachers have a secondary-level education or less. 3.12 Despite the low proportion of qualified teachers, efforts by the Government to increase the output and efficiency of primary and secondary teacher training schools have been inadequate. First, instead of consolidating primary teacher training in a limited number of colleges, the Government has implemented a regionalization policy of many small teacher training colleges, the number of which now totals 20 with enrollments of 1,300, or an average of 65 per school. Many of these colleges function in temporary or inadequate buildings, with insufficiently qualified staff. Second, enrollments in the three-year program to produce "instituteurs" or Grade I teachers have more than doubled during the past three years while enrollments in the one-year "instituteur adjoint" or Grade II program, in which the "throughput" is much greater, are only about half what they were at the beginning of the same period. The higher cost per graduate of a three-year program over a one-year program is compounded by the fact that student teachers receive a government salary when they begin the program. The annual US$1,800 salary-scholarship, which constitutes three-fifths of the recurrent cost per primary teacher trainee, results in per-student costs 60 percent above university expenditures per student. Finally, the high student costs have resulted in the Government not using all primary teacher colleges to capacity: the three colleges built under the first education project (Credit 161-CM) were operating at only 66 percent of their total enrollment capacity in 1976/77, and construction under the second project (Credit 320-CM) of additional boarding capacity at another college has not increased enrollments since the original college dormitories were closed when the new ones were completed. 3.13 Inefficiencies at the secondary teacher training college (ENS) are the result of its frequent change of recruitment procedures and minimal degree of integration with other university programs. All courses are now given at the ENS, even though they duplicate some general university courses. As a result, costs per ENS student are double those of the faculty of letters and 40 percent higher than those of the science faculty. Moreover, the proportion of lower secondary to upper secondary teachers being trained has been rapidly falling despite (a) the higher proportion of unqualified teachers in lower secondary education, (b) the higher absolute requirements for lower secondary teachers to meet enrollment growth at this level, and (c) a salary cost for an upper secondary teacher that is 23 percent greater than that for a lower secondary teacher. In 1976/77 the output of upper secondary teachers out- stripped lower secondary teacher output by a margin of almost 2 to 1.  -7- Education Expenditures 3.14 In some respects, Cameroon presents a more optimistic education ;.inance picture than that characterizing other West African countries. Recurrent education expenditures have grown only slightly faster than the total central government current budget: education constituted 22.5 percent of the total in 1976/77, up from 17.4 percent in 1965/66 and 19.6 percent in [970/71. Unit costs at the primary level are low enough to make extension of the formal system's coverage to the entire primary age group a financially feasible proposition, assuming enrollment and expenditure growth at other :Levels is restrained. Individuals shoulder a heavy share of education finan- cing, especially at the lower levels. Through sponsorship of private schools plus expenditures for books and uniforms, contributions by individuals represent almost 30 percent of total recurrent expenditures for education. 3.15 However, low education expenditure in Cameroon manifests itself in low-quality education: poorly-adapted curricula are taught by insufficiently qualified and supervised teachers in inadequate physical facilities. The dilemma facing the Government is how to keep the lid on expenditures while gradually improving the system's quality. Projections of education expendi- t:ure reveal that, even by maintaining low existing per-student costs and reducing university growth rates and certain other expenditures, continuation of current enrollment trends at other levels will increase the share of educa- t:ion to 32 percent of the total budget by 1986. This level assumes that the salary-scholarship awarded to primary teacher trainees (para 3.12) will be cut i.n half, an essential condition if the Government is to finance the training necessary to meet primary teacher requirements. Needed increases in per- pupil expenditure at the primary level--for example by raising average teacher qualifications to Grade II level and by reducing the teacher:pupil ratio from 1:52 to 1:48 -- would increase the education budget by an additional 14 per- cent. Pressures for increases in teacher salaries, which are relatively low compared with teacher salaries in other countries, would of course have even greater repercussions on the level of expenditures. Educational Planning and Administration 3.16 Educational planning remains weak in Cameroon despite efforts under the first Bank education project to strengthen it. Two important issues which have complicated effective educational planning and controlled develop- mient have been the persistence of two separate education systems and the existence of a large number of private schools. The structure, curricula, examinations and language of instruction of the Anglophone and Francophone systems remain separate despite harmonization attempts (para. 1.02). As a result, efforts to systematically plan and renovate either system have been frustrated 3.17 Moreover, the influence of private education at the primary and secondary levels remains strong, especially in Anglophone Cameroon where former colonial administrations encouraged extensive mission activity. For example, 41 percent of total primary enrollments and 59 percent of primary enrollments in Anglophone Cameroon are in private schools. Enrollments in  - 8 - private general secondary schools constitute 52 percent of total secondary enrollments. However, it is the recent increase in enrollments at lay tech- nical secondary schools, with their generally low quality of instruction, which is of particular concern to the Government. Private technical schools now number 96 (versus 19 public schools) and account for 85 percent of total technical education enrollments. These schools tend to have poorer facilities than public schools and much lower teacher qualifications. Almost 95 percent of all private technical school teachers have a secondary education or less and of these, almost three quarters have only a lower secondary education. While the Government supports private schools through subsidies, it would like to increase its control over them to improve the quality of the education they offer. Yet staff shortages of the Ministry's administrative services prevents it from adequately controlling program and staff quality in both public and private education. 3.18 While these constraints to effective planning and administration should not be underestimated, the shortage of trained planning staff and absence of a clear ministerial policy regarding the respective roles of the ministry planning service and research institutes, such as the National Education Center, cannot be ignored. The MEN planning service has not been able to keep abreast of regular statistical reporting activities; 1974/75 is the last school-year covered by a statistical yearbook. Forward plan- ning -- entailing, first, analysis of manpower requirements, employers' observations and flows and efficiency of the system and, second, proposals for rational growth of the system--was undertaken in general terms in the context of the fourth five-year plan; however, this reflects an investment program more than it does a comprehensive education planning exercise. IV. GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PLANS FOR EDUCATION 4.01 Government education policy in the 1970s as reflected in the third and fourth development plans (1971-1975 and 1976-1980) emphasizes the need to: (a) introduce a uniform education structure for primary education, together with associated curricular reform to create a system adapted to the local environment; (b) improve the spatial distribution of enrollments through better school locational planning; (c) strengthen the quality of education by providing better trained teachers and more facilities and equipment; (d) place greater emphasis on technical secondary and post-secondary studies; and (e) improve human resource planning, including consultation with employers and student counseling based on employment needs.  - 9 - Education policy supports in general terms the development priorities of the fourth plan. However, apart from proposals for investment projects, the education chapter of the fourth plan does not set forth a strategy or time- table for implementation of the above objectives. .4.02 The lack of cirection in the development of the education system which characterized the mid-seventies now appears to have been arrested by the appointment in December 1977 of a new Minister of Education who has ex- pressed the clear intention of making the education system a better tool for meeting Cameroon's economic development objectives. In a major MEN reorga- nization in August 197E;, he brought many new staff into senior management positions while retaining the most forward-looking existing staff. The new team already seems to be taking greater control of the system while confront- ing its major problems with realism and commitment to constructive change. .4.03 The most important task confronting the MEN is to set back into motion efforts initiated in the 1960s to harmonize and reform primary and general secondary education. In 1968 the Government, with assistance from IJNDP and Unesco, launched a primary education reform effort through the creation of two pedagogical institutes ("Institut de pe'dagogie applique'e a vocation rurale" - IPAR) for Francophone and Anglophone Cameroon, responsible for development of a new common curriculum and teacher upgrading programs. Major difficulties arose and, as a result, reformed programs have yet to be introduced. 4.04 Particularly acute have been organizational problems related to coordination of the work of the two IPARs. Each IPAR proceeded with little liaison with the other: in Francophone Cameroon, the Yaounde' IPAR, created in 1968, began revising the curricula and teacher upgrading programs on a subject-by-subject basis without adequate initial research on learning needs. M4oreover, there was lit:tle involvement of school principals, teachers and inspectors. In Anglophone Cameroon, environmental research by the IPAR created in 1973 was exl:ensive and of high quality; field surveys and experi- ments were conducted to ascertain social attitudes and expectations, identify occupations primary school leavers might enter, and test cheap teaching materials. But since l:he approaches of the two IPARs are so different they have little to harmonize. At the ministerial level, target deadlines for a government decision on the curriculum to be introduced and the timetable for its implementation have been repeatedly postponed, and a "harmonization" law of 1973 has not been followed up with enabling legislation ("textes d'application"). However MEN officials report that now that the new Minister has had the opportunity to review the situation, action will be taken shortly. 4.05 Reformed curricula for general secondary education were drawn up in the early 1970s by a joint East-West commission and proposals made for a uniform structure. However, apart from introducing two hours per week of manual activities, no progress has yet been made in renovating structures or curricula. Unificat:ion of the two systems is not mentioned in the fourth development plan. The National Education Center (CNE), under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Planning office for scientific research, is now working  - 10 - on curricula revisions to professionalize secondary education. The CNE recently submitted to the MEN its reform proposals but their translation into an action program will be difficult, given the CNE's weak linkages with the MEN and with the IPARs, which fall directly under the MEN's responsibility. 4.06 Under the impetus of the new Minister, the Government is placing high priority on strengthening programs for technical education and vocational training in order to meet modern sector requirements and to create informal sector self-employment, needed to reduce rural-urban migration and urban youth unemployment. One constraint is the division of responsibility and inadequate collaboration between the MEN, which is in charge of technical education, and the Ministry of Labor, which is responsible for vocational training and operates a few small upgrading centers. This blurring of responsibilities is part of the larger problem in technical education and vocational training of the absence of a comprehensive national policy for manpower development and a long-range plan of action for both public and private education. Policy decisions will need to address the problems of the structure of the formal technical education system, the role of the private sector, participation of employers in the training process, financing of technical education, coopera- tion between ministries involved in education or training, the role of the Ministry of Labor in vocational training, utilization and expansion of exist- ing facilities, and training of instructional staff. A first step is being taken with the recent creation of an MEN interdepartmental committee charged with assessing the capacity of education/training establishments to respond to employment requirements. This committee's review will be complemented by sectoral manpower surveys which the division of human resources of the Ministry of Planning intends to undertake shortly. The third education project (Loan 1245T-CM) will provide consultant services and logistical assistance for these initial studies. 4.07 The large number of school leavers who will not find employment in the formal sector strongly justifies the concern of the MEN and Ministry of Agriculture with training for informal sector, primarily rural-based, activi- ties. Programs to prepare young people for effective integration into urban informal employment have yet to be tested; examples of successful approaches elsewhere unfortunately are limited. Although there have been a number of small pilot projects for agricultural training that could be of valuable experience in this field, the institutional framework and trained personnel needed to implement these pilot schemes on a large scale do not yet exist. 4.08 The Government recognizes the gravity of other issues confronting the education system and has begun exercising the authority over the system needed to overcome problems. Increasing access to education remains a priority, and one on which the Government can make a direct impact through its investment program. The MEN considers the construction of classrooms, needed to expand access to both primary and secondary education and improve their internal efficiency, as one of the highest priorities for intervention by external agencies. The principal objective in increasing internal effi- ciency should be improvement in the quality of primary education. To achieve this, the MEN needs to prepare a systematic strategy to (a) rationalize the  - 11 - i]ocation of primary teacher colleges, (b) operate existing colleges at full capacity, (c) establish policy governing the proportion of different levels of teachers to be trained, (d) review the adequacy of current upgrading programs, and (e) quantify objectives for primary enrollment growth and upgrading of teacher qualifications to pace improvements with allowable in- creases in education expenditure. The MEN is now addressing this last issue by considering an increase in the number of students in the one-year primary teacher training program and a reduction in the salary-scholarship for teacher t:rainees (para 3.12). 4.09 Improving internal efficiency also requires the MEN to take a firmer stance on enrollment growth, particularly for secondary education and some university faculties such as the law school, in order to avoid overcrowding, inappropriate use of facilities and recruitment of an increasing number of :Lnadequately qualified teachers. For example, secondary school principals report that the MEN sets indicative targets for enrollment growth at their schools, but the principals themselves set their own enrollment ceilings-- ceilings which they admit they are compelled to raise under pressure by parents and local authorities. The MEN has the power to influence enroll- rment growth, primarily through the number of teachers it allocates to each school and through enforcement either of predetermined teacher/pupil ratios or of a ceiling on enrcllments based on number of classrooms. Given the difficulty facing schocl principals as members of their community to restrict enrollments at their schools, the MEN now recognizes that it will need to take greater responsibility for ensuring that growth of secondary enrollments is kept more closely in line with government targets. 4.10 Many of the difficulties faced by the Government in addressing the Issues above are the result of weak planning and administration of the system. The MEN recognizes that. what is needed are more trained planning staff, con- tinuous and routine collaboration among ministries and clear guidelines on ithe respective roles and work programs of the pedagogical research institutes and the MEN planning service. It therefore recently increased the number and quality of MEN planning staff at both the provincial and national levels, and the planning service has now begun to reduce the backlog of statistical reporting work and to mndertake forward projections. The inspectorate system is also being strengthened through the association of experienced teachers at secondary schools as pedagogical advisers and inspection liaison staff. V. INVESTMENT PRIORITIES AND BANK STRATEGY 5.01 The Government's principal education objectives (para. 4.01) merit support. Translated ir,to investment priorities, they point to the need for inputs to rationalize and expand primary and technical teacher training and vocational training anc to create training opportunities for informal sector activities. Institutional support is also warranted to strengthen educational planning and organization.  - 12 - Past and Current Foreign Investment 5.02 These priorities are reflected in the activities that external agen- cies have supported during the decade and are expected to continue to support. French aid, mainly for recurrent personnel expenditures, has been falling for the general secondary and university levels (until recently, the latter also received a general budget subsidy from France) and increasing for technical and science education. The only capital investment currently being considered by the French Government is the creation of an agro-industrial technical institute, still under preliminary study. Other bilateral donors have limited their intervention mainly to provision of personnel, although USAID is now preparing a community development project for the north and a project to relocate ENSA to Dschang. The European Development Fund (FED) has concen- trated on building primary classrooms in the north and vocational training schools. UNDP, with Unesco as executing agency, has been involved primarily in support for the National Education Center and the two IPARs. 5.03 The Bank Group has been an important source of finance, responsible for 41 percent of externally financed capital investment for education in Cameroon since 1971 (UNDP follows with 27 percent and FED with 25 percent). The now completed first education project (Credit 161-CM, signed in September 1969) provided US$10.5 million (later raised to US$11.7 million) to assist the Government in expanding and upgrading (a) primary teacher training, (b) general and technical secondary education, and (c) post-secondary agricultural education. The project also provided technical assistance for educational planning. The principal objective of the project--introduction of better quality and more practical education in general secondary education--has been impeded by overcrowding, shortages of appropriately qualified teachers, absence of practical subjects in the nationally prescribed curriculum and inadequate maintenance at project schools. However, the project has contri- buted to improving regional distribution of general secondary education. Expansion of primary teacher training facilities will increase the output of primary teachers by 40%, once the colleges are operating at full capacity. The technical schools face problems of teacher shortages and over-theoretical programs, but at least one school is making headway in giving the programs a practical orientation. The National School of Agriculture, which benefited from a modest project input, is now being transferred by the Government to Dschang. The planning specialists strengthened the planning unit in their individual fields of specialization, but their effectiveness was limited by the absence of clear terms of reference, equipment and qualified counterparts. A completion report dated June 8, 1977 and an audit currently under prepara- tion assess the outcomes of this project in greater detail. 5.04 The second project (Credit 320-CM, signed in June 1972, for US$9 mil- lion) followed up the objectives of the first project by supporting expansion of primary teacher training and lower secondary technical education. It also financed expansion of secondary teacher training, creation of an adult voca- tional training center, and launching of preinvestment studies for agricul- tural education. All schools except the vocational training center have recently come into operation; the latter is expected to be completed in late 1978.  - 13 - 5.05 Through a technical assistance program and construction of 10 schools, the third education project (Loan 1245T-CM, signed in July 1976, for US$17 million) seeks to (a) improve the planning and management of agricul- tural education; (b) si:rengthen and expand technical, agricultural and rural health training; and (c) lay the basis for a rural information system and for further investments in the education sector. Construction has started for only one school so far, but several specialists have arrived and financing earmarked for preinves:ment studies is encouraging the reinforcement of human resource planning (para 4.06). Areas for Future Bank Involvement 5.06 The difficulties encountered in the first project, plus the early stage of implementation of the second and third projects in terms of actual program operation, suggest that further education investment by the Bank should be timed to respond to both current institutional analyses or measures and to evaluation of some of the innovations being introduced under ongoing projects. For example, while projections show the need to open at least three new primary teacher training colleges by 1986, Bank involvement should be preceded by (a) a policy decision on the nature and timing of the stymied primary education reform (para 4.04), (b) a systematic strategy for meeting primary teacher requirements, and (c) more intensive utilization of existing facilities (para 4.08). 5.07 Investment iL the technical education subsector, particularly voca- tional training and technical teacher training for which the Government is urging Bank involvement, will need to be designed in response to the outcome of the analyses of manpower requirements and inven.tory of existing training programs currently underway (para. 4.06). Moreover, the launching of the adult vocational upgrading center (CENAFOP) under the second project should be watched carefully since it is the first initiative of the MEN in vocational training. Moreover, an understanding needs to be reached between the MEN and the Ministry of Labor, which is normally responsible for the kind of training being undertaken by CENAFOP, to avoid unnecessary friction or overlaps. In addition, CENAFOP's prDposed administrative structure, calling for joint management by public and private sector representatives, will also need to be tested, in the prospect that it could evolve into a permanent vehicle for industry involvement in training policy and programs. 5.08 Finally, improvement in rural learning opportunities and training for provision of rural services should be a Bank investment priority, assuming a consensus can be reached within the Government on what ongoing experiments should be institutionalized, and if and how the MEN can most effectively interact with the technical ministries to ensure that its training activities complement production or service activities. Collaboration between the Ministries of Agriculture and Education for the creation of the ITA is still at an embryonic stage; its maturation will help to determine whether develop- ment of training programs in support of the community development experimenta- tion should be undertaken jointly by the two ministries or by the Ministry of Agriculture alone or in conjunction with other technical ministries.  - 14 - The specialist services provided under the third project for rural information services could be usefully deployed to review the success of ongoing rural training experiments and to make proposals on how these might be implemented on a larger scale, including the necessary prerequisites in terms of inter- ministerial cooperation. Future Sector and Project Preparation Work Program 5.09 Education sector knowledge is limited by the absence of current education data and by general weaknesses in the educational planning process. However, the recent strengthening of the MEN planning service and the finan- cing provided under the third project should allow for undertaking sector work in areas where gaps are particularly glaring, namely in human resource analysis and planning and evaluation of pilot rural training schemes. Hence, apart from the recent discussion of this Sector Memorandum with the Government and the continued review of ongoing government sector studies, no further sector work by the Bank is recommended. 5.10 The timing of future projects should be based on progress made over the coming year in the sector analyses mentioned above. It should be possible to schedule a mission for June 1979 to review these surveys, and a first Project Brief could be distributed by August 1979.  - 15 - APPENDIX I Page 1 CAMEROON EDUCATION SECTOR MEMORANDUM THE EDUCATION SYSTEM Organization (Annexes Al - A4) 1. The Ministry of National Education (Ministere de l'education nationale--MEN) is responsible for all levels of general and technical education and for all higher education. Vocational schools, only a few of which exist, are under the authority of the Ministry of Labor. Seven provincial delegations to the MEN, supported by 40 inspectorates, provide the administrative framework at the regional level. Although the MEN is seeking to harmonize the two education systems inherited from the colonial period, the Francophone and Anglophone systems still differ in structure, curricula, examinatiors and language of instruction. In Francophone Cameroon, the structure of the system follows the French pattern, consisting of six years of primary schocl and a secondary program divided into a four-year lower cycle and a three-year upper cycle. In Anglophone Cameroon, a 7 + 5 + 2 system prevails. The tertiary level of higher education, at the University of Yaounde', is integrEated and bilingual. 2. Coordination of pedagogical research is the responsibility of the National Center of Education ("Centre national d'e'ducation"-CNE, formerly National Education Institute). In 1976 the CNE, which has 22 researchers, of whom 20 are Cameroonian, was placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Planning office for scientific research. Pedagogical research for primary education is being unCertaken by the two "Instituts de pedagogie applique'e a vocation rurale" - (IPAR) in Yaounde and Buea. As part of the MEN, the IPARs have little contact with the CNE, which is supposed to oversee all education research. The IPARs ELre also facing problems related to coordination and implementation of their own programs. Primary Education (Annexes Bl - B14) 3. Primary enrollments totaled 1,157,000 in 1976/77; 59 percent are in public schools, up from 44 percent in 1970/71. Total enrollments have grown by 3.6 percent p.a. since 1970/71 (9 percent p.a. in public education). The net enrollment rate is estimated to be 60 percent of the 6-11 year age group (6-12 year age group in Anglophone Cameroon), and ranges from 88 percent in the Yaounde' region to 29 percent in the north. The gross enrollment rate is 92 percent, reflecl:ing the heavy incidence of over- and under-aged pupils who comprise one-third of enrollments. 4. Internal efficiency has improved slightly over the past few years: cohort analysis revea:Ls that 45 percent of new enrollees completed the 6-year program in the mid-1970s, up from 33 percent at the beginning of the decade.  - 16 - APPENDIX I Page 2 In 1975/76, of 138,000 students in grade 6 in Francophone Cameroon, about 20 percent entered secondary school, 35 percent repeated grade 6, and the remain- ing 45 percent entered the labor force or vocational training programs. 5. In both the Francophone and Anglophone systems, the emphasis remains preparation for secondary school. In 1968 the Government, with assistance from UNDP and Unesco, launched an education reform effort through the creation of two pedagogical institutes (IPAR) for Francophone and Anglophone Cameroon, responsible for the development of a new common curriculum and teacher upgrad- ing programs. Major difficulties have arisen and reformed programs have yet to be introduced. 6. With few exceptions, all primary teachers are Cameroonian. The average teacher/pupil ratio is 1:52, ranging from 1:46 in private schools in Anglophone Cameroon to 1:56 in public schools in Francophone Cameroon. Primary teacher qualifications are low: 44 percent of teachers in public education and 59 percent in private schools have no teacher training and have low levels of general education. This represents a great improvement over the situation in 1967/68, when 86 percent of teachers were unqualified. But the regional distribution of trained teachers is uneven; whereas the percentage of trained teachers is nearly 95% in the Anglophone system, the shortage of trained teachers is still acute in the Francophone system, with only 25 percent qualified. This is due partly to the more rapid growth of primary enrollments in Francophone Cameroon during the period, averaging 4.3 percent p.a., compared with one percent in Anglophone Cameroon. General Secondary Education (Annexes Cl- CIO) 7. Secondary education consists of a lower cycle of four years at "colleges d'enseignement general" or "secondaire" and at lyce'es in the Franco- phone system, leading to the school-leaving examination (BEPC). The upper cycle of three years at lycge leads to the baccalaureat examination (univer- sity entrance) administered by the University of Yaounde'. In the Anglophone system, a five-year program at general secondary schools leads to the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level examination, comparable to and organized in collaboration with the London University GCE, with a subsequent two-year program preparing for the GCE Advanced Level of the Certificate. In 1963, it was decreed that there would be uniformly a five-year cycle and two-year second cycle. This has yet to be implemented. 8. From 1970 to 1976, enrollments in general secondary education more than doubled, from 57,000 to 120,000. Enrollments in public schools grew at 20 percent p.a. and private enrollments averaged 9 percent. Private schools still enroll 52 percent of all general secondary students, down from 66 percent in 1970/71. Girls constitute one-third of lower cycle and 22 percent of upper cycle enrollments. New enrollments in grade 7 as a proportion of the previous year's grade 6 enrollments have increased from 12 percent in 1968 to 19 per- cent in 1974. Due to nonenforcement of entry requirements by school officials, it is estimated that as many new enrollees enter unofficially as do those who  - 17 - APPENDIX I Page 3 enter as a result of passing the secondary school entry examination. Because of heavy repeating in grade 6 and the large number of unofficial enrollments in grade 7, about 29 percent of all sixth graders ultimately find a place in secondary school. 9. The repeater rate in secondary school varies from 7 percent in grades 7, 8 and 11 to 24 percent in the final year, grade 13. An average of 4.9 student-years are required to complete the four-year first cycle, and 4.5 student-years, only slightly lower, to complete the three-year second cycle. About half of grade 10 enrollees pass the BEPC exam, which allows entry into the second cycle, and 45 percent pass the baccalaureat exam. 10. DiversificatLon of secondary curricula and introduction of practical subjects remain minima:L. The national curriculum prescribes only two hours weekly of practical subjects. Due to rapid enrollment growth, schools are so crowded that the few existing specialized classrooms are generally used as ordinary classrooms, as proved to be the case for facilities financed under the IDA first education project. A commission established to harmonize the programs of Francophone and Anglophone Cameroon drew up draft syllabi in 1974, but these have never been applied. The CNE is now responsible for reform of lower secondary education but nothing has yet been produced. 11. Nationals accounted for 85 percent of the secondary teaching force in 1976/77. Of these, 38 percent have no more than a secondary education (BI civil service grade level or below). Technical Education and Vocational Training (Annexes DI - D8) 12. The Francophone education system provides three types of technical/ vocational training at the secondary level: (a) "Sections artisanales rurales" (SAR) and "Sections me'nag'eres" (SM) for prim1ary school leavers, which provide two years of training (grades 7 and 8) in rural and artisanal activities (boys) and homemaking (girls), basically as an extension to primary school; (b) "Colleges d'enseignement technique" (CET), which provide four years oi lower-secondary training (grades 7 to 10) in industrial and commercial subjects, leading to the school- leaving examination of the CAP ("Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle"), to prepare skilled-workers for direct employment; and (c) "lycees techniques" (LT) that provide three-year upper- secondary (grades 11 to 13) technical or commercial training, leading to the technician diploma ("Brevet de technicien") for direct employment or to the technical baccalaureat for university entrance.  - 18 - APPENDIX I Page 4 In the Anglophone system, technical education is provided only at lower- secondary technical schools which provide 4 or 5-year courses (grades 7 to 11) in industrial or commercial subjects, leading to technical certi- ficates issued by the City and Guilds Institute of London or to the GCE Ordinary Level. 13. At the post-secondary level three institutions provide upper- technician (diploma) and/or engineering (degree) education. They are: (a) "Ecole nationale supe'rieure polytechnique" associated with the University of Yaounde', which provide three- year ("ingenieur de travaux") and five-year ("ingenieur de conception") programs in electronic, electromechanical and civil engineering, mainly for the private sector; (b) "Ecole nationale de technologie" (ENAT), operated by the Ministry of Equipment and Housing, which trains foremen (CAP + 2 years) and technicians (BEPC + 4 years) in public works, building construction and civil engineering, for the public sector; and (c) "Ecole superieure des postes et telecommunications", operated by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, which trains technician-level staff for the PTT. 14. From 1970 to 1976, enrollments in lower secondary technical educa- tion increased by about 11 percent p.a., from 15,800 to 28,900. In upper secondary technical education, enrollments increased from about 1,500 in 1970 to 5,100 in 1976, for an average growth rate of about 23 percent p.a. In 1976, private schools accounted for about 85 percent of the total CET enroll- ment and almost 50 percent of the total LT enrollment. About 75 percent of private instruction is in commercial subjects. Girls constituted about 37 percent of enrollments in both lower and upper secondary technical education in 1976, almost exclusively in commercial courses. Repeater rates vary from 5 percent in grade 7 to about 23 percent in grade 13. Only about 20 percent of grade 10 students successfully pass the CAP examination and about 45 percent of grade 13 students pass the baccalaureat examination. 15. Curricula of the CET and LT are largely based on those of similar institutions in France, while in Anglophone Cameroon technical training follows the British pattern. At the CET level, the weekly curriculum of 40 hours is about equally divided between academic and industrial or commercial training, and provides about 10 hours per week of practical instruction in workshops or laboratories. The upper secondary technical program is constructed in a similar way but with a slightly reduced practical context. Conditions of overcrowding, shortage of equipment and materials for workshop instruction, and lack of technical knowledge and practical experience of instructional staff adversely affect the quality of technical education at the secondary level. The quality of commercial courses tends to be less affected by these  - 19 - APPENDIX I Page 5 factors. The MEN Department of Technical Education is inadequately staffed to provide effective pedagogical control of teaching programs and staff, mainte- nance of records and statistics, and control of school supplies and teaching materials. 1.6. At the post-secondary level, the situation is considerably better: the "Ecole polytechnique", although administered by the MEN Department of Higher Education (through the University of Yaounde), has a certain degree of raanagement autonomy, a dedicated and qualified staff, and pedagogical backing from the "Institut national de sciences appliquees" of Lyon, France. The other two public institutions, "Ecole nationale de technologie" and "Ecole des PTT", are under the management or financial control of their respective ministries (Equipment and PTT) and as such benefit from a similar autonomous 3osition in terms of programs, staff and finances. L7. Lack of qualified teaching staff is an acute problem, especially Eor the technical specializations at both lower and upper secondary levels. In 1976 there were about 1,100 technical secondary teachers, and nationals accounted for about 77 percent of this teaching force. About two-thirds of the CET teaching staff had no more than secondary education (level BI or below). Private schools, with 79 percent of the total enrollment, have the largest percentage of underqualified staff: fully 70 percent of all private school teachers have less than secondary education (level C) and 25 percent have only secondary education (level Bi). Teacher training for technical and commercial teachers is practically non-existent. The "Ecole normale superieure" has established a smal:L section for industrial teacher training at the indus- trial technical lyce'e in Douala (1977 enrollment: 65; full-time staff: 5) and some courses for commercial teachers are offered at the commercial technical lycee in Yaounde. Student/teacher ratios in 1976 equaled about 16:1 for public technical education (increased from 14:1 in 1970) and reached 36:1 for private technical (mainly commercial) schools. Agricultural Education and Training (Annexes El - E5) 18. Agricultural education and training are distributed among three ministries. The Ministry of Education and the University are responsible for the higher level training at the "Ecole nationale superieure d'agronomie" (ENSA) and the "Institut des techniques agricoles" (ITA) of Dschang. The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for middle and lower level agricultural training at the "Colleges re'gionaux d'agriculture" (CRA), "Ecoles techniques d'agriculture" (ETA) and forestry training programs. The Ministry of Livestock also sponsors training programs. 19. HiAher level agricultural education, which trains for the engineer level ("ingnieurs de conception" and "inge'nieurs d'application") is currently provided at ENSA Yaounde' and ITA Dschang. Following the Presidential decision to decentralize university-level agricultural education, these two schools will be merged into one campus at Dschang. Construction and equiping of the ITA are being assisted by the Bank third education project. ENSA provides  - 20 - APPENDIX I Page 6 five training options: plant production, animal husbandry, rural economy, rural engineering, and forestry; ITA will be capable of providing all but the forestry option. It is expected that once they are operating at full capacity, ENSA and ITA will meet all agricultural engineer training needs. 20. Middle and lower level training institutions prepare field exten- sion staff ("conducteurs des travaux") at the CRAs in Dschang and Bambili and agricultural monitors ("agents techniques") at the ETAs in Maroua, Ebolowa, Bafang and Abong-Mbong. Expansion of these institutions, also supported by the third education project, is expected to permit the Government to meet its needs at the national and provincial levels. Most of the trainees will serve as extension agents, in either the civil service or in agricultural projects. ETAs and CRAs now under construction in each province will share a campus, use common facilities, and coordinate their field work training. The program includes periodical rotation between schools to prepare students to become familiar with and trained for working in different regions of Cameroon. Two other institutions providing middle level training are located at Ebolowa and Bamenda for the training of agents for cooperatives. 21. Farmer training. Responsibility for farmer training rests with the Ministry of Agriculture's Directorate of Agriculture. There are a few train- ing centers of different kinds scattered throughout the country but they suffer from their insufficient numbers and lack of adequate support. The best ones are of the CFJA type ("Centres de formation des jeunes agriculteurs" - Young Farmer Training Centers) at Goyang, Dadjemka and Binguela, since they train both men and women in one agricultural calendar year (paras. 34 and 35). Recently, farmer training was introduced as part of most agricultural projects (rice, cocoa, coffee and integrated development projects). 22. Forestry training. In addition to higher level training provided at ENSA, the Ministry of Agriculture's Department of Forestry recently created a specialized college of forestry training at MBalmayo, which trains forestry technicians and monitors in two-year courses. The college's capacity is sufficient to meet staffing needs of the forestry services and even to allow for creation of a program for training wood technicians, as was recently proposed. MBalmayo is an ideal site for strengthening practical forestry instruction, due to its proximity to natural forests and forest industries. 23. Veterinary and animal sciences training. The Ministry of Livestock has two schools for training livestock specialists. The most important is the "Centre de formation zootechnique et ve'terinaire" of Maroua (north Cameroon). The other is the new livestock training center of Jakiri (northwest). Both train "infirmiers vete'rinaires" (veterinary nurses). Training at these schools is increasingly oriented toward preparing multi-disciplinary agents for animal production and health, specialists in ranch management and special- ists in processing of animal products. With the new extension of the Maroua school, the requirements for lower and middle level livestock staff will be met. Veterinarians will continue to be trained abroad.  - 21 - APPENDIX I Page 7 24. The dispersion of agricultural training institutions and respon- sibilities has resultecl in poor planning and management of agricultural education. A shortage of qualified teachers for the training schools is another major weakness of agricultural education. A permanent system for training agricultural teachers has not yet been established, nor are the conditions of work conducive to attracting the best candidates for this field. Most of the practicing teachers have had no formal pedagogical training other than short in-service seminars, and they have acquired whatever skills they may have mainly through their teaching experience without gaining an in-depth understanding of the socio-economic environment in which they will be teaching. A final problem is inappropriate curricula in agricultural schools. ENSA should establish a formal curriculum development process and expand the limited efforts of its Division of Rural Pedagogy to develop agricultural education curricula adapted to conditions in Cameroon. The third education projec: is assisting in the resolution of these problems of planning, teacher supply and curriculum development. Health Education and Training (Annexes Fl and F2) 25. The training of physicians, nurses and other health technicians is conducted at the "Centre universitaire des sciences de la sante'" (CUSS), one of the faculties of the University of Yaounde. The CUSS approach to medical and paramedical training has been very innovative in that it is (a) changing health education from a largely urban orientation and placing greater emphasis upon the preventive aspects of health training; (b) emphasizing the need of health personnel to work as members of an inter-disciplinary team rather than as individuals; and (c) exposing students to field assignments in designated health demonstration zones. 26. The training of middle and lower level paramedical personnel is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health. In contrast to the large and sophisticated facilities available at CUSS, the Ministry's provincial schools of paramedical training are very old and poorly equipped. They are being used at their maximum capacity and therefore cannot increase the number of graduates to meet paramedical staff requirements. The Ministry's budget, and in turn the recurrent budgets for lower level medical schools, are insufficient to develop preventive, collective and rural-oriented training while still maintaining the curative, individual and urban medical training now practiced. The inadequate collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, under whose jurisdiction CUSS falls, presents a further barrier to the injection of the CUSS approach into the programs of the provincial schools. Teacher Training (Annexes Gl - G3) 27. Primary teacher training. Primary teachers are trained at 20 insti- tutions: (i) 7 Grade I Teacher Colleges ("Ecole normale d'instituteurs" - - ENI), which provide one-, two-, or three-year training programs, depending upon the level of the candidate; and (ii) 13 Grade II Teacher Colleges ("Ecole  - 22 - APPENDIX I Page 8 normale d'instituteurs adjoints" - ENIA), which provide one year of training to candidates recruited from Grade 10 (BEPC holders and "0" level holders). Enrollments at these institutions totaled 1,300 in 1976/77, for an average of only 65 per school (see para. 3.12 of main text). Curricula are well balanced, offering courses in practical subject areas such as handicrafts, home economics, agriculture, and social and community activities, in addition to the normal academic subjects. Qualified primary teacher instructors are scarce, and most have been trained as secondary school teachers. However, a program for training instructors was established in 1976/77 at the secondary teacher training school. 28. Secondary teacher training. Secondary teachers are trained at the "Ecole normale supe'rieure" (ENS) at the University of Yaounde in programs of three- and two-year duration for lower and upper secondary teachers re- spectively. Enrollments in 1977/78 totaled 765, of which 570 are at Yaounde', 130 at Bambili and 65 at the technical teacher training annex in Douala. Recruitment procedures and integration with university programs have gone through several phases: after sharing a common core of programs with the university, all courses are now given at ENS. University Education (Annexes HI - H3) 29. Founded in 1962, the University of Yaounde' enrolled 9,500 students in 1977/78, exhibiting a 19 percent annual enrollment growth rate since 1971/72. The University consists of three faculties (law, letters, and sciences) plus several professional institutes, the largest being the "Ecole normale superieure", the "Centre universitaire des sciences de la sante"' (CUSS), the "Ecole normale superieure agronomique (ENSA), and the "Ecole nationale superieure polytechnique" (ENSP). Most faculties and institutes are based at Yaounde, but ENSA is being transferred to Dschang and the In- stitute for Business Administration ("Institut de l'administration des entreprises") is based at Douala. A further decentralization of university faculties to Buea and Ngaounderd is foreseen, but no timetable has been set. 30. Despite significant success in developing science, medical and technical studies at the University, there remains a distinct imbalance in favor of non scientific studies. The faculty of law enrollments have been allowed to grow by 22 percent per annum since 1971/72, so that now fully half of all university enrollments are in the law faculty. The examination pass rate for all levels of university study has remained stable at about 60 percent since 1971, with the sharpest decline at the law capacity diploma level where the pass rate dropped from 62 to 34 percent between 1971 and 1975. No figures are available on internal promotion rates. 31. The University teaching staff is becoming increasingly Cameroonian; the proportion of national staff grew from 36 to 62 percent in three years (1971/72 - 1974/75).  - 23 - APPENDIX I Page 9 Nlonformal Education and Training 32. Apart from private, often church-related efforts, there exist few nonformal training programs in Cameroon. The MEN's activities are oriented exclusively toward formal education, and the Ministry of Labor's training programs are aimed primarily at modern employment sector upgrading. While l:he Ministry of Agriculture is considering the establishment of a community development program, it currently has no programs of a national character. 33. One government program aimed at establishing young school dropouts :in rural areas is a "Service civique de participation au developpement" developed by the Ministry of Defense as an alternative to military service. The program lasts one agricultural calendar year and young people are given a practical training in agriculture, animal husbandry and/or rural trades, coupled with notions of management and cooperative organization. Trainers are provided from a number of ministries. The participants produce and sell the crops raised during the program. At the end of the program the young farmers are assisted in establishing themselves on the land through a grant of CFAF 1.60,000 plus a loan of CFAF 200,000. Four centers are now in operation, with a total participation cf 680 young people. About 1,500 have already been l:hrough the program. Ihe cost per person is estimated to be CFAF 890,000, or about US$4,000. 34. Two privately sponsored efforts include the Kumba rural training center operated by the Swiss Presbyterian mission and the Young Farmer Training Centers ("Centres de formation des jeunes agriculteurs" - CFJA) in M4aroua and Yagoua, run by the Genevese Federation of Assistance. The first program is similar to that of the "Service civique" as it seeks to train small farmers through a program which places strong emphasis on acquisition of practical skills under realistic conditions, including the marketing of the crops raised on farm-size plots. The 30 participants per year are required ito own land or show proof that they will receive it. Although graduates of the program have beEn relatively successful, the program has encountered the problems of high ur:it costs (about US$2,400 per participant in 1973 plus an investment cost of US$7,000 per participant place) and skepticism of potential recruitees ard villagers in this southwest region where there are high enrollment ratios and developed plantation activities, both of which encourage young people to seek wage employment. :35. The CFJAs, which seek to establish young couples on their own farms, find fewer barriers opErating in the north where primary education is less developed, people marry at an early age and fewer modern sector jobs are available. Candidates are nominated and supported by their villages. The training cost per couple is about US$1,700. However, the program can only cater for 15-20 couples at a time. Hence, while the CFJA and Kumba programs provide a useful experimental base, they have limited impact due to their Localized nature.  - 24 - APPENDIX II Page 1 CAMEROON EDUCATION SECTOR MEMORANDUM EDUCATION FINANCE AND EXPENDITURE Investment Expenditure (Annex J1) 1. The importance the Government attaches to education is revealed by the high rate of growth of governmental capital expenditure in education, which has averaged 20 percent p.a. since 1965/66. Investments in education comprised 16 percent of total government investments in 1976/77, up from 9 percent in 1965, and 12 percent of total government education expenditures. Adding foreign investments in education, which constitute 41 percent of the total, public education investment totaled CFAF 5 billion (US$20 million) in 1976/77. The same year, the Ministry of National Education (MEN) investment budget was distributed as follows: 18 percent for primary, 30 percent for secondary, 20 for technical, 20 percent for university, and 12 percent for primary teacher training and other. Recurrent Expenditures (Annexes J1 - J7) 2. Growth of government recurrent expenditure for education has averaged 14 percent p.a. since 1965/66 and 16 percent since 1970/71. The recurrent education budget totaled CFAF 21.1 billion in 1976/77, or 22.5 percent of total government recurrent outlays and 3.1 percent of GDP. After adding foreign and private contributions, which constitute 11 and 30 percent of total recurrent education expenditures respectively, current expenditure on education totals 6 percent of GDP. The breakdown of government expenditure by level of education was as follows in 1976/77: % of % of Total MEN budget Administration 4 5 Primary education 33 39 Secondary education 19 23 Technical and vocational education 3 4 Primary teacher training 5 6 Higher education 20 23 Training by other ministries 16 - Total 100 100 In 1976/77, personnel costs as a share of total recurrent outlays by level averaged 52 percent, ranging from 95 percent in primary education to 15 percent in primary teacher training (where high scholarships/salaries act to reduce  - 25 - APPENDIX II Page 2 the salary share). Scholarships consume an increasing share of expenditures as one proceeds up the education ladder, representing 44 percent of the total at the university level and 77 percent for primary teacher trainees. Costs per Student-Year (Annex J4) 3. Unit costs of public education in Cameroon compare as follows with those in other West African countries: Cameroon Ivory Coast Senegal Congo 1976/77 1975 1976/77 1974 --------------CFAF '000----------------- Primary 8 30 25 11 Secondary 63 236 45 26 Technical/vocational 81 192-1,250 51-346 77-151 Primary teacher training 724 853 278 269 University 464 970-3,960 346 482 UJnit costs at the University of Yaounde" range from US$700 at the law faculty t:o US$5,400 at ENSA. Unit costs of private education in Cameroon are somewhat lower at the primary arnd general secondary levels, averaging CFAF 6,000 and 44,000 respectively, but much lower for technical school, averaging only CFAF :39,000. 4+. Salary differentials and the proportion of qualified teachers, as revealed in the table on the following page, explain the low cost per pupil of primary education in Cameroon.  - 26 - APPENDIX II Page 3 -roporcion or ofeachers Average Teacher Salaries with Appropriate CFAF '0001/ Pupils:Teacher Trainin / Cam- ivory Cam- Ivory Cam- Ivory eroon Coast Congo eroon Coast Congo eroon Coast Congo Primary 52 44 63 33 90 59 inastruteur 900 1,260 1,000 (4) (26) (7) instituteur-adj. 520 750 750 (29) (64) (52) Secondary lower 1,300 1,500 1,450 30 25 55 59 87 46 upper 1,600 1,900 1,800 23 15 34 79 91 84 Technical lower n.a. n.a. n.a. 17 9 15 n.a. n.a. n.a. upper n.a. n.a. n.a. 12 12 17 n.a. n.a. n.a. Pri-.arv teacher 1,300 n.a. 1,700 8 10 16 33 n.a. n.a. training Universit y 1,770 23400 2,200 16 n.a. 19 n.a. 1/ Cameroon: Salary and teacher data for 1976/77. Ivory Coast: Salary data for 1975 and teacher data for 1975/76. 2/ Including technical assistance. At the primary level, salaries are generally 45 percent lower than those in Ivory Coast and Congo (and those countries have since had salary increases), and the proportion of qualified teachers is only one-third to one-half that in the other countries. At the secondary level, salaries, teacher qualifica- tions and teacher/pupil ratios in Cameroon are more on a par with the other countries.  - 27 - ~~~~AIPIENDIX III - 27- I.B.R.D. EDUCATION PROJECTS DEPARTMENT COMPARATIVE EDUCATION INDICATORS CAMEROON Dcnot write n D. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~COUNTRY tpoAe oelo_ (TO BE COMPLETED IMMEDIATELY AFTER ANY SU5STANTIAL EDUCATION MISSION, e g APPRAISAL.) COUNTRY POPULATION GNP/CAPITA EXCHANGE RATE LITERACY PUBLIC EDUC, EXPENDITURE CODE YEAR (MILLIONS) (S U.S.) (U.S. Si ) (% ADULTS) PER CAPITA (S U,Sj 1 C A M _ mT lij 1-1 1 21-418 . 1 2-4 5-7 -12 1317 IE-23 21-o 27-0 EDUCATION EXPENDITURES AS % GNP TCTAL CENTRAL ' OF CENTRAL GOVT. EXPEtJDITURt OM tDUCATION - - G~~~CIV'T, EXPEND AS', O ETA OT XPNIUEO DCTO PJBLIC % PRIVATE % TC TAL PUBLIC EXPEND, % TOTAL CAPITAL