The Cameroonian Minister of Higher Education, Pauline Nalova Lyonga (pictured), signed last May 19 a decision suspending public grants to 41 private schools across the country.

The decision affects 28 schools in the Central region, 8 in the Littoral, 3 in the West, and 2 in the North. Overall, 41 private schools in the country will not receive public grants for the FY2022-23.

The official said these schools did not meet the requirements relating to the use of public grants in 2019 and 2020. They have been identified by the Ministry’s National Brigade of Control of Private Institutions. “The rule is that each institution that receives the state subsidy must be able to justify the expenses via an operating account. They are also required to present receipts of the expenses," explains the director of a private college in Ahala district, Yaoundé. The operating account and all supporting documents are filed with the Secretariat of Education (Seduc).

“We usually receive it (the grant, ed) by April or June. And at this time of year, most institutions are under cash flow pressures. The grant is therefore used to pay salaries," the source explained. 

Michel Ange Nga