Government-Teachers Dialogue: Resolved To Start School Year Peacefully

Below is the press release from the sixth ordinary session of the inter-ministerial committee in charge of examining and proposing solutions to the preoccupations raised by teachers’ trade unions.

Chaired by its President, the Minister of Higher Education, Chancellor of the Academic Orders, the interministerial committee in charge of examining and proposing solutions to the preoccupations raised by the teachers Trade Unions had a working session on Tuesday 29th of August 2017 in the conference room of the Ministry of Higher Education beginning at 11:30a.m.
The working session was essentially focused on the preparation of the National Education Forum and the problems linked to preoccupations of teachers at the eve of the resumption of the 2017-2018 school year.
The Agenda had two main points: on one hand, preparations towards the reopening of schools and on the other hand, the organisation of the National Education Forum announced for the month of December 2017.
Participants :
- The Minister of Basic Education
-The Minister of Employment and Professional Training
-The representative of the Minister of Secondary Education
-The representative of the Minister of Sports and Physical
Education
- The representative of the Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic
 Education
-The Representative of the Minister of Public Service and
Administrative Reforms
-The Technical Adviser of the Prime Minister in charge of
Education and Research
- The Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat of the Committee
- A Chargé de Mission at the General Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Office
- 23 representatives of the teachers Trade Unions for the Primary, Secondary and Higher education of both the Anglophone and francophone sub systems.
In his opening speech, while welcoming his colleagues, members of Government together with all the participants, the Minister of Higher Education congratulated the dynamism of the committee which serves as a veritable platform for concertation and an open forum to all the members of the educative community. The examination of the preoccupations raised by legalised Trade Unions had at times led to urgent and concrete actions geared towards teachers demands. At the same time the realism which prevailed during the working session imposed on all the parties present to set aside the questions whose complexity requires a thorough examination, backed by a broad consultation including aspects which required substantial financial expenses.
With regard preparations towards schools reopening, the participants listened to the announcements of the Ministers of Basic Education, Employment and Professional Training, the representatives of the Ministries of Secondary Education, Sports and Physical Education respectively. It is clear from these interventions that the reopening of schools is on a good footing in spite of certain challenging behaviours whose sources otherwise circumscribed are external to the educational milieu. Items deemed to be of concern were opened for discussion, and solutions were proposed. These include:
c The putting in place by the Government, under the highest instructions of the Head of State an emergency intervention program amounting to more than four billions FCFA to enable schools that were shot down because the action of the terrorist sect BOKO HARAM to reopen and function under good conditions;
c Making available teachers in refugee camps of the Adamawa, East and Extreme North Regions;
c The organisation of catch up classes in favour of children of the North West and South West Regions;
c The mobilisation of administrative authorities, forces of law and order, municipal authorities, elite, trade unionists, in view not only of reinforcing security around schools and Universities but also to mobilise parents and stake holders;
c The construction, rehabilitation and equipment of several classrooms in Government primary and secondary schools;
c The release by the Minister of Commerce of measures with the objective of avoiding speculations in the prices of books and didactic material at the dawn of the 2017-2018 school year;
c The amelioration of infrastructural facilities in public Higher Education institutions, particularly in the Universities of Bamenda, Buea, Maroua and Douala;
c The full payment of the second part of the Special Modernisation University Research Grant in favour of teachers-researchers and dispositions are underway in the Ministry of Finance for the payment of the third part.
Other preoccupying issues to the trade Unions, were after, open debate resolved consensually and pragmatically.
The National Education Forum which constitutes the venue of the thorough examination of teachers concerns and the concerns of our educational system is actively being prepared. The elaboration of technical documents is going on at the same time as the committee continues to study all preoccupations raised by the trade unions for a thorough examination without complacency. In order to accelerate the preparatory process with a better mastery of the academic calendar, the committee decided on holding regular monthly sessions.
At the end of the working session, while welcoming the quality of documents examined and the good mastery of the preparatory process of the National Education Forum, the President of the Interministerial Committee invited all the members to maintain the same commitment for the success of the Forum and advised them to follow the path of dialogue and concertation which are true vecto...