On Friday 14 August, the Minister of Secondary Education (Minesec), Pauline Nalova Lyonga (pictured), announced a nationwide ban on holiday courses. “The organization of holiday courses is formally prohibited in public and private schools across the country,” the minister said in a statement. Consequently, “any educational institution whose infrastructure will be used for the organization of these courses will be sanctioned per the regulations in force,” she warned.

This decision follows the measures enacted by the government as part of the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. “Holidays are a time for young people to engage in educational play activities and to learn social and cultural values for better integration,” Nalova Lyonga said.

This ministerial decision comes at a time when several schools have already started holiday courses, also known as refresher courses. These courses are given in particular to pupils who have learning problems or whose results are judged to be mediocre. The aim is to help them raise their level in subjects in which they have difficulties or problems of understanding. Costs vary between CFA5,000 and CFA20,000 depending on the school and the class of learners.

In Yaoundé, some schools have already announced the suspension of these courses. The Jean Tabi College, first in the last ranking of the Cameroon Baccalaureate Office (OBC), has decided to suspend the said courses “until further notice,” following the ministerial instructions. The same happened at Vogt College, where holiday classes started on 12 August.

According to the latest official report, Cameroon has 18,118 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 16,538 recoveries and 403 deaths.

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