Ministries concerned have taken stringent measures to curb the persistent ill.

Issues surrounding the existence of clandestine schools in Cameroon are yet to be effectively resolved. Authorities from the Ministries of Basic and Secondary Education say the problem is a very complex one which involves several actors from different areas such as the civil society, teachers, proprietors of such schools as well as the government who in itself,  is charged with making sure that all goes well in the sector. However, there are continuous measures taken in both ministries to eradicate the phenomenon of clandestine schools in the country.

Last week, the Minister of Basic Education signed a decision to close down some 263 clandestine primary and nursery schools across the country. According to the Director of Private Education at the Ministry of Basic Education, Sally Maigira, this is a sign that in spite all what the ministry is doing; clandestine schools still persist in the country.

At the moment, Basic Education authorities are sensitising parents against such schools as well as their founders to know the laws binding the creation and opening of private schools. Besides facilitating the administrative procedures to create and open private schools in the basic education sector, measures to curb the existence of clandestine schools, Sally Maigira says there are people who think that it is only when they operate in illegality that it becomes profitable.

The Director of Technical, Vocational Education and Training at the Ministry of Secondary Education, Emmanuel Ndifongwa Shu says the ministry has set up a National Register of private schools in the country. The register identifies all regular schools while updating the existence of private schools.

As such, authorities at the Ministry of Secondary Education are able to know who is who in the secondary education sector. Emmanuel Ndifongwa also noted that each authorised private school has a serial number which is placed on all official documents of the institution. As such, those which do not have a serial number are quickly identified and closed down.

The closure of illegal schools is effective in the field because once authorities sign a decision to close any illegal school, a correspondence is sent to the governors of each region in a bid to ensure that administrative authorities accompany commissions that will be charged with closing such schools. Illegal schools have effectively been closed in the country. But Sally Maigira reiterated that it is a complex problem because a school could be closed today and that same school opens tomorrow with another name.

While noting that there is a lot of fraud amongst founders of private schools, the Director of Private Education at the Ministry of Basic Education underlined that progressively, the fight seems to be successful because when the fight against clandestine schools started, some 800 of such schools were closed but today, the number has dropped to about 260.