By Doh James Sonkey
Teachers Trade Unions in Cameroon have resolved that government’s prompt implementation of COREC’s six demands would enable the unions to deliberate on the follow up to their strike notice. The demands include among others; the signing of the national collective agreement for private education, the organisation of working sessions on the special status of the personnel of the National Education corps, and the prompt transmission of the report of the constructive dialogue session etc.
The decision was taken by 27 out of 48 teachers trade unions present at the 13th session of the inter-ministerial committee charged with examining and proposing solutions to the concerns raised by Teachers’ Trade Unions, last March 26, 2025 at the Yaounde National Advance School of Engineering.
The session was chaired by the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education and Chancellor of Academic Orders, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo, in the presence of the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Gregoire Owona, Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms, Joseph Le, Minister of Secondary Education, Prof Nalova Lyonga, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Secretary of State to the Minister of Basic Education, Prof Ashiro Kilo Vivian and representatives of the Ministries of Finance, Sport and Physical Education, Rectors of the Universities of Yaounde I and Bertoua, etc.
The Minister of State, Prof Fame Ndongo said, President Biya instructed government to continue with the constructive dialogue platform in order to find solutions to teachers’ grievances.
The Higher Education boss reminded the Teachers Trade Unions that “You are the molders of the young Cameroonians.”
The National Secretary of Communication and Press of SECA, Tenkeng Samory Toure told reporters that, ‘‘at the time we are speaking, we can say that there has been a slight improvement, because the proposal of the order of the day, which was a key point for us, has been respected according to the proposal of COREC, that is to say that the special status and the National Education Forum were the first points that were in the order of the day. Now we have eliminated all the 12 points that were there, but what must be said clearly is that we remain on our taste because, government has not given a concrete follow-up to the different claims. With regard to the special status, the government still asks the unions to come together to make a definitive motion. Well, this is a big surprise for us, but we have agreed to do the work. We are going to submit a copy of this status, which we will now call the special status, since the law of 1998 invokes the special status for teachers. With regards to the National Education Forum, the government has been waiting for a long time to propose a date for this order, but it has been retained that it is probably before the month of July 2025 will hold. But it must be said clearly, the last word goes to the government on the date of this National Education Forum. So, it is no longer a vague idea”, he detailed.