#1REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON Peace - Work - Fatherland MINISTRY OF BASIC EDUCATION/ MINISTRY OF SECONDARY EDUCATION REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON Peace - Work - Fatherland MINISTRY OF BASIC EDUCATION / MINISTRY OF SECONDARY EDUCATION World Bank Workshop on School Textbooks Abidjan, July 27-29, 2015 CAMEROON NATIONAL TEXTBOOK POLICY FOR A QUALITY EDUCATION#2Presentation Outline Overview of Cameroon Where Have We Come From? Where Are We Now? Key Aspects of the Textbook Policy Perspectives: What Are We Aiming For?#3Overview of Cameroon Located at the bottom of the Gulf of Guinea in Centra Africa, Cameroon is a transitional location between North, West, East and Southern Africa. Due to this location, Cameroon is very diverse, both in the human an natural realms. This diversity inspired the nickname "Miniatur Africa." French and English are the country's two official languages, a legac of French and English colonization.#4Overview of Cameroon (continued) rea: 475,000 km², with a population of 20 million inhabitants with verage age of 22.1 years; DP per capita: 1224 USD ; 3.6% of the population is under 15 years old; here are 4,136,912 primary-school-aged children, of which 1,934,436 rls (46.76%); ross school enrollment rate of 118%, 113% for girls, and the net rate 8.5%; he primary school completion rate is 75%; here are 94,328 primary-school teachers, 49,588 of which are women; here are 18,135 primary schools, 11,906 of which are public.#5Where Have We Come From? When Cameroon gained independence, it was part of OCAM and its educat ystem used, with help from the monolithic political system, the sa extbooks as all of the other francophone countries (Mamadou and Bine with an exception in Catholic schools, which used their own; Once it left OCAM, Cameroon created the Center for Textbook and Teac Suide Publication and Production (CEPMAE - Centre d'Edition et de Product e Manuels et Auxiliaires de l'Enseignement) to produce and distribute books chools. The book title was the same throughout the entire system; n 1970, with support for la Francophonie (ACCT) the government establish he Center for Publication and Production for Education and Research (CEPE entre d'Edition et de Production pour l'Enseignement et la Recherche) eplace the CEPMAE. The book title was still the same throughout the en ducation system and was sold at an affordable price; he situation changed in the 1990s with democratization and structu djustment policies.#6Where Have We Come From? 1990 Cameroon was placed under structural adjustment. Among sequences: ✓ 60% of public servants had their salaries reduced; ✓Layoffs of public servants; The closure of state enterprises. e social situation worsened, unemployment went up, poverty grew; ents were no longer able to provide their children with textbooks, I had a high price. W#7Where Are We Now? A study conducted in 2012 on availability and accessibility revealed verage ratio of 1 book per 12 students in the country; Education quality suffers: "A recent study conducted on a sample of 4 rade classes (CM1) produced a very alarming result: 49% of pub chool students have great difficulty reading (they can only read a yllables but not a word or cannot read at all). 26.6% of public-sch tudents are 'mute readers,' unable to read even a syllable". 1 dy commissioned by the MINEDUB and conducted by Sofreco#8Where Are We Now? e face of deteriorating quality of education, it has proven necessary to reverse the t vas reflected by government initiatives supported by various PTF, namely: PASE (World Bank) PAQUEB (Islamic Bank) Program C2D (AFD) HIPC (Multilateral) Strategy Document for the Education and Training Sector endorsed in 2013 by the for the free distribution of textbooks to public primary schools. e with this option: The Global Partnership for Education gave a grant of 53.6 million USD supervised b World Bank. This donation was implemented by the Education Quality and Equality Improve Program in Cameroon (PAEQUE - Programme d'Amélioration de l'Équité et de la Q de l'Education).#9Where Are We Now? he PAEQUE provides for the provision of textbooks to public prima chools over a period of 3 years, for pupils in the first three grades, w riority given to rural and disadvantaged areas; he plan is to achieve a ratio of 1 textbook per 3 students in the co ubjects; plan for teaching/learning reading in primary school is included; itial and continuing training for teachers in textbook use is a lanned.#10Key Aspects of the National Policy on Textbooks n 2000, the democratization process was accompanied by beralization that did not spare the textbook sector: ✓ There is now a plurality of titles, on the condition that they com with the official programs; ✓ The State monopoly made room for private publishers. draft bill of the National Textbook and Teaching Materials Policy v eveloped with the support of the AFD (2012) under the authority of rime Minister's services with the participation of the ministries of ba ducation, secondary education, and commerce. It is awaiting validatio#11Key Aspects of the National Policy on Textbook (continued) s policy, which sanctions liberalization and hence the disengagement State, promotes: ee competition between publishers; lultiple title choices at the primary and secondary levels; election of titles at the national level by the CNAMSMD; nnual publication of a national list of approved textbooks; hoice of titles at the school level; dogenous publication and co-publication of textbooks; stribution of textbooks by booksellers and private publishers; rengthening of professional capacity of executives involved in the fie school textbooks.#12Key Aspects of the National Policy on Textbook (continued) - he National Council for the Accreditation of School Textbooks d eaching Materials (CNAMSMD Conseil National d'Agrément Manuels Scolaires et des Matériels Didactiques) was created to prov dvice and technical assistance in the implementation of the textbo olicy. mong other things, it is responsible for: ✓ Annual evaluation of textbook and teaching material needs; ✓ Evaluation of textbooks in accordance with procedures and crite ✓ Establishing a list of 5 approved textbooks by subject and class; ✓ Conducting a survey every 3 years on the availability a accessibility of textbooks.#13Summary of Contributions, 2000–2015 Number of Titles Sources of Financing Amounts Acquired 1,733,000.28 USD PAEQUE (SMEs) 1,090,184 C2D (AFD) 25,848 600 000 USD Islamic Development Bank - 52,000 200,000 USD IDB World Bank PPTE (free textbook distribution program primary school) Government in 2,500,000 8,000,000 USD 72,000 360 000 USD TOTAL 10,893,000.28 USD#14What Are We Aiming For? e quality of education is inextricably linked to the availability of educatio terials, especially textbooks. s therefore a matter of improving the quality by making textbooks accessi I available to all students at the right time, at an affordable cost, and with uired quality. cause of this, the Government is working on a national policy to reduce pri I improve textbook availability. This policy also promotes endogen plishing and co-publication of textbooks. h this in mind, Cameroon hopes for contributions and technical support fr development partners so that the ultimate goal of 1 textbook per student core subjects can be reached by 2020.#15Tam - Tam Mathématiques PROPRIÉTÉ DU MINEDUB NE PEUT ETRE VENDU SIL Mesures Numeration Opérations Géométrie Le Classiques africains Problèmes Tam Tam Mathématiques PROPRIÉTÉ DU MINEDUB NE PEUT ÊTRE VENDU SIL Mesures Numération Opérations Géométrie Problèmes Opérations Géométrie Problèmes 19 1/7/8 451 16/ 13 2 Les Classiques africains africains Thank you for your kind attention!