The permanent Secretary of the National Book Commission, Professor Marcelin Vounda Etoa, has assured parents and students of the availability of a majority of textbooks in the markets.
The Permanent Secretary recently shed light on the evolving landscape of textbook selection and availability in Cameroon. “The choice of textbooks is guided by the curricula,” he explained, “and on the 14th of June 2023, the Minister of Secondary Education, Professor Nalova Lyonga, signed an arrêté modifying the content of the curricula from Form One to Form Five and from Sixième to Troisième.”
This document, the Permanent Secretary noted, “describes the content of the books.” While acknowledging the concern of parents regarding the cost of textbooks, the official emphasized that a balanced perspective is necessary. “If you compare the prices of textbooks in our country and elsewhere, you would see that our textbooks are still cheaper than those in other countries. The average cost of a textbook in Cameroon is 4,000 francs.”
Addressing Concerns and Ensuring Progress
The Permanent Secretary addressed the issue of students repeating classes, stating that this should not be the primary factor in deciding on textbook changes. “The textbooks that have been changed this year have been used for the past 6 years, that’s since 2018. We couldn’t use the same textbooks if we had to be in coherence with the content of the Minister’s arrêté. The law gives a duration for the use of textbooks, and the law would not fail if some people fail or not. We have to abide by the law and we have to make progress in the production of school textbooks.”
Textbook Availability and Supply Chain
Regarding the availability of textbooks for the upcoming school year, the Permanent Secretary shared a positive outlook. “Almost all the textbooks that are on the booklist for this coming school year are available. Some of them are still lacking, but they won’t be lacking for long because, from information gathered from publishers, those books that are printed abroad are either under Customs or at the Douala seaport.”
Che Tembuck
