Courtesy - Hinsley Njila (a princereport contributor)
Of the millions of things wrong with a country like Cameroon, its education system and the monkeys in charge of it in my book have been the second most dangerous on that list since the country’s independence. Second in magnitude in terms of holding the society back and condemning millions to a life of hopelessness and eternal poverty as they die a slow and painful death, only to the leadership of the country. Please read on ONLY if you can handle the truth.
Fact: If you were convicted for committing violent murder in Chicago (USA) and went to prison for life, you’d be exposed to an astonishing wealth of knowledge in terms of library and access to information that Cameroon with six state Universities for 17 million people simply has failed to provide its students; and that’s just the prison system in Chicago being compared to a country.
Fact: North Korea, South Korea, Cameroon and a host of other countries all gained independence about the same time. South Korea built Human Capital through education, and now they are light years ahead of Cameroon and North Korea in terms of development and all other economic indicators.
Every developed country in this world or one aspiring to be, has to have a good education system that drives development. A good education system works hand-in-hand with business to provide labor that is best prepared to handle growth and economic changes. Because the relationship between education and human capital is so important and has been well researched, I’ll advice all those interested to read ‘Human Capital: A theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education’ by Gary Becker, and many other literature by Robert Barro, Milton Friedman and others.
On the front page of USATODAY newspaper for Feb 29-March 2, 2008 there is statistics listing the breakdown of foreign students in the United States by continent. While slightly more than one out of every two foreign students you see in American Universities is Asian, a mind numbing far less then one of every 11 or so is African. Why should this matter to you, you ask? Everything I’d say.
People like me have studied and see a direct correlation between education and development, law, freedom, human rights, reduced mortality, reduced incidents of disease and so on. China, in its five year development plan (available online) spends a great deal of time emphasizing the fact that not only will it make every effort toward building globally recognized, educationally renowned institutions and faculty within 10 years, but would also support its students by helping the brightest attend some of the best Universities in the most developed parts of the world. Its leaders recognize that unless you have this type of leadership, any talk of sustainable development is insanity at best. Of the less than 1 in 11 students from Africa studying in America, Cameroon might just be the least represented of all African countries.
In Cameroon you have Universities and professors that are actively standing in the way of students gaining the knowledge and exposure to make something out of such a failed society. Cameroon Universities have a grading system so bad that it should be criminal. A system with NO accountability designed to ensure the brightest Cameroonians are regarded as mediocre when compared to people from other parts of the world. The system is unfair, overly punitive, inadequate, incompetent, and criminal. How do I know this? Well, many people who couldn’t muster the bribes for grades in Cameroon do quite well at many GOOD Universities around the globe. Those that did pay the bribes and or slept with teachers for grades as well as unfairly get available scholarships, often perform quite poorly when trusted into more honest systems.
We should all be critically concerned about this unfairness, because not only do we discourage and potentially lose talent, but such practices all but guarantee that Cameroon remains a state that will always be quoted as an example for poverty and corruption by Transparency international, World Bank and others for centuries to come at best if she can survive for that long. Case in point, a good Education system would have produced professionals that would constantly look at inflation and make adjustments whether it be to commodity prices like food and fuel, trade agreements and others that protect economic activity and reduce poverty. Obviously, Cameroon’s education system is dangerously inadequate and thus incapable to offer opinions on such critical issues; one reason for the recent bloodshed and loss of lives, and lack of respect for the law by leadership who adjust prices without understanding the economic implications. Cameroonian youths are far smarter than the system is designed to show, and thus must be urgently adjusted to give them the opportunity to be GREAT.
So what needs to happen then? Well at this point I’m not even sure leadership (government and academic) understand the gravity and urgency of the situation. If they claim ( and they do) that they’re admitting the best students in their Universities, no one should then be failing without the institutions, Professors and other leadership being held accountable, and Cameroonian students should be given the tools to compete with anyone from around the world. Teachers SHOULD stop sleeping with students for grades, Universities need better libraries with modern books, and smart students who wish to study abroad should be supported throughout the process not just students who are related to people in power. Most importantly though, the education system in Cameroon needs to be completely overhauled almost IMMEDIATELY.
There are just too many unqualified professors not armed with what it takes to prepare students to tackle Cameroon’s problems. This is so important that if somehow I became president of Cameroon, I’ll make this happen in my first 50 days in office to save lives and build dreams among millions of young people. If you had the stomach to have gotten this far reading my piece, please tell me what you think by reacting to this post.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Cameroon’s Education system, dangerous for Cameroonians
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Education
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11 comments:
It's a shame a Cameroonian of your calbre writes things like this online, using your myopic opinion as facts. You are certainly an angry fellow. You are responsible for your anger and for that which you cannot correct. You measure Cameroon based on the information of the failures that you know. You forget about the millions of simple honest Cameroonians who toil and succeed in a system that has beaten you. This same persons achieve in Cameroon, what you can not acheive both within and outside Cameroon. Keep you anger to your self, or perhaps if you are so angry write a book for your great grandchildern to read.
James
With all due respect for the time put into it, this article is a subjective piece of RUBBISH. Fit for a thrash can. Could argue point by point against your unstructured logic or the absence thereof, but am not sure where to begin. Guess the lack of reasoned argument here makes you a proof of Cameroon's shoddy educational system. Thank you.
If you are a Cameroonian, and a learned bloke as you purport, then I think you are psychologically flawed and your. This article is garbage and beggars believe that you are a journalist. Population wise, Africa is no match to Asia. The University of Pretoria and Cape in South Africa are among the best 500 in the world, better than most universities in Britain and Europe. It is not only universities in America that deliver. Studying abroad is a decision that rests with any prospective student, provided the finance is there. In a nutshell the system of education has produced great scientists and leaders.
I absolutely agree with you. Having attended the technical secondary/high school studies in Cameroon where public examinations pretty much got translated word for word from french to english made it extremely impossible for one to comprehend what was and is needed for from a question. As a consequent to this inresponsibility smart anglosazon students find themselves repeating Probatoire and BAC technique 2, 3, 4 times.
As for the University system in Cameroon i think you great job highlighting the short comings.
Keep up the great work.
Grand Manu
I must say that I enjoy your reactions to my article, please keep them coming.
Kudos to the one reader who pointed the Universities in South Africa. I'm so glad he/she didn't point out Universities in Cameroon, and I hope he/she realizes Cameroon and South Africa are decades apart in terms of development, so he/she actually helped me make my point. Thanks no name reader. If you're not sure where to begin, then you have nowhere to begin. The points I make in this article are a little complex for anyone to react without thinking. I'm not at all angry, why should I be? EVERY Cameroonian should be concerned about NOT being competitive in the world. Building HUMAN CAPITAL through education is not a new idea, it's been around for centuries so i'm surprised and delighted a few people are just learning about it. I want to see Cameroon strong and be the best country in the world, but it will never happen unless we have a good education system that produces the scientists and leaders that the other reader was dreaming about. Thanks, and keep those comments pouring in. Fyi, Cameroonian elites have ALWAYS sent their children abroad to study, and I want that same access to everyone else. Make this a system that works for us all.
Also check out www.becker-posner-blog.com. But if you can't stomach my article....
I don't think you live in Cameroon or have been there anytime during the past 15 years, i.e. since you probably ran to Chicago to seek asylum. If you want to write an article, I advise you to get the facts from people on the ground. I am not in any way a supporter of the government of my country, but I am completely embarassed at the extent of lies telling some people will go to discredit the credentials of their fellow country men. By the way, is Cameroon a developed country? And since you know so much, why not return to your country and contribute in changing anything you don't like. You think UB for example created a grading system from space? Only empty vessels like you make the loudest noice!
You have to all admit the truth that rings forth in Hinsleys' article; denying it puts you on the same alienated, nonchalant pedestal as those with the power of economic and political decision making presently in cameroon. Those who have been so distanced from reality that their egotistical versions of the state- of-affairs clouds the very legacy they will have to leave behind for their children.
Enlighten yourselves.
Frank
Great article Mr. Hinsley. The articles only short coming is the fact that you fail to point some positives things in the Cameroon education system, I found your article very good. I will argue that there are distinguished scholars have been and are currently being raise in Cameroon. There are honest teachers struggling to educate fellow Cameroons amidst limited resources, yet there is a bunch full of disgraceful ones. It is a high degree of ignorance for someone to argue against bribery, sexually transmissible marks, and a hand full professor that are unqualified and never teach nor research any thing that could revolutionists Cameroon. Students on the other hand are too materialistic that a government support to study abroad would be a waste of resources as many will never return home upon completion of there studies abroad. Your press for a change could pay off one day. Press on Hinsley. Build a strong desire to rule the country and institute change. But I must assure you that it will not be easy. Remember, people resist change. Also if one person is to rule for 25 years and you were to be the 10th from now, your turn may never come when you are still alive. May God help Cameroon!
Hey, to the guys in denial (first 3 or 4 posted responses) can all of you make sure to at sign off with a fake id or moniker so I could directly respond to some of you dimwits? That would be very much appreciated.
I think I know what the issue is with some of you- Hinsley's article is just too hot to handle for people like you who've never lived or experience true freedom of expression. You'll prefer to counter everything he pointed out just because you're worried some non-Cameroonians can visit this blog and learn about your dirty laundry! I know all of you went through these same frustrations that Hinsley is revealing here but your foolish, no-use pride will not let you admit it! Have some balls, damn it! That's exactly like living the life of a mongrel dog (hidding under the table and waiting for some crumbs to fall down to you, if "Massa" be so generous!)
Hinsley, I like your take on the University situation with the so-called lecturers or un-professors! There are still many of them that I remember how they frustrated many of my mates back in the '90s. I'm still planning to kill them!
-Strong
By Victor Waingeh
With all due respect to the author of this article (Mr. Njila), the article falls short in its attempt to paint the Education system in Cameroon as "Dangerous for Cameroonians" . It reveals the the frustrations of a Good Education System handicapped by insufficient funding, may be shortage of staff and, of course, occasional corruption at many levels.
But to broadcast the system as dangerous to Cameroonians as if to suggest that Cameroonian- Educated students have no place in the world is completely false, unless facts and statistics can be provided to back that claim.
To compare the success of Cameroonian students by matching the number of students in the US to the number of Asian students is misleading because the entire Cameroonian population does not come close to that of Asia.
To label the whole group of hardworking professors as "Monkeys" ; People striving under hard conditions to provide the best they can to our students, is disrespectful and short of humility.
I do believe that the Cameroon Education System, even with its flaws, is great. It produces excellent, great and hard working students who can compete and succeed in any arena, even when they get a late start due to less exposure to some of the resources that Mr. Njila is talking about in his article.
So while we decry some of the shortcomings of our system and lament at some of the bribery and corruption that sometimes permeate the system, I hope that we still believe that our system is inherently good and that our teachers and professors are doing the best they can under the prevailing circumstances to help us grow and succeed. We can continue to support them and we should continue to press the system to strip it of all forms of corruption that may undermine the efforts of hardworking and deserving students.
I do recognize how the worsening situation of the Country in general is resulting in slow growth in the Education section, but the Education system and those working to give it just a breadth of life should have been respected and credited in that article.
Sincerely,
Victor Waingeh, Ph.d
What a good piece of anger! I personally acknowledge these touched problems but think it could be addressed in a better way. I have the suspicion that your basic studies were in Cameroon and see where you are! No one appraciate what we have at home but addressing people as monkeys seem as though you want the whiteman to hear you better and confirm his opinion about us. In short, you are a monkey as well. The one thing I have learnt about writing is that you regret your anger which you pour on papers as soon as the public consumes your inability to handle your juvenile emotions.
It could be worth reading about international political economy and the position of countries like ours whose leadership bear the grunt of decisions made in Washington and Geneva. This is not to propose that we hold back and see our dear country ransacked. But we should apportion blame squarely to whoever are concerned with the destruction of Cameroon. I best advice you to go back home and make a educational revolution before you become a reactionary one day.
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