In a recent message signed by several regional focal points, the collective of high school teachers “On a trop supporté” (OTS) is calling for an "indefinite strike" that should start on Monday, September 4, the start of the 2023/2024 school year. The message comes months after the government met teachers, in February 2022, to take steps to meet their demands. 

According to the OTS, teachers should go to their respective schools, and sign the attendance sheet but instead of delivering classes, they should stay inside the teachers’ room. The collective explains that the only condition that could end that strike is “the signing of the special status of teachers and payment of all debts owed to teachers for all promotions, all headings included." 

For the collective, "despite the government's failure to meet its commitments on time (...), teachers have repeatedly suspended the strike and worked conscientiously and professionally, not only out of patriotism but also and above all out of concern to save the school year and avoid penalizing parents and pupils." It blames the government’s “unwillingness” to resolve that “crisis.” 

Sharing the same criticism, the Teachers Union of Cameroon for Africa (SECA) has issued a strike warning. In a letter dated August 10 addressed to Prime Minister Dion Ngute, SECA criticizes the fact that only part of the President of the Republic's instructions of March 9 to resolve the teachers' problems have been implemented. 

As proof, it says that the payment of two-thirds of salary arrears was spread over 15 months and was supposed to be completed in August 2023. In addition, students fresh out of teacher training schools were matriculated without being paid and some 64,000 teachers have been promoted between June and September 2022 without salary adjustments to date. 

SECA took that opportunity to list teachers’ demands, which range from the application of the special status of teachers "submitted to the President of the Republic on March 18, 2022," to the effective payment of bonuses, as well as a reform of training courses, the granting of indexed scholarships to teacher training college students, as well as a one million CFA Francs scholarship to be awarded for laureates of academic palms. 

L.A.