Teaching Mathematics in Cameroon
By Professor DIFFO LAMBO Lawrence, 
Higher Teachers’ Training College, Yaounde

Before becoming an independent state in 1960, Cameroon (475 000 km2, 20 000 000 inhabitants in 2006) had been administered by 3 colonial masters : Germany (1884-1919),  England (1919-1960 for 20% of the territory) and France (1919-1960 for 80% of the territory). Hence, Cameroon inherited an educational system with two subsystems : the Anglophone and  the Francophone subsystems. The two systems had significant differences, and the harmonization process is still going on today.
 1. The organigram of the Cameroon general education system
      For primary and secondary education, the following table indicates the levels of studies upwards the education pyramid with the names of the graduation diplomas. Digits enumerate the  years of studies in the corresponding level.
Subsystem
Primary 
Secondary
High School
Anglophone
7
GCE O’ level (5)
GCE A’ level (2)
Francophone
6
BEPC (4)
Probatoire (2)
Baccalauréat (1)
In this presentation, we will leave out vocational schools and limit ourselves to general education.
      Private universities have little influence on the system, because of their little size. There are six state universities. The following table indicates the levels in university studies. In the Diploma row, the number indicates the number of years necessary for graduation in the corresponding level.

First cycle
Second cycle 
Third cycle
Type of studies
General
 Mathematics
Advanced studies
and specialization in 
a research field
Research
Diploma
Licence (3)
Maitrise (1)
DEA (1)
PHD (4)
The University of Yaounde 1 (UY1) is, among the six state universities, the only one with second  and third cycle studies in mathematics. Hence, two schools  of the UY1 host all the second and  third cycle studies in Cameroon : 
1) The Mathematics Department of the Higher Teachers’ Training School (in French, Ecole Normale Supérieure ) , or shortly, ENS.
2) The Mathematics Department of the Faculty of Sciences.
2. Contents and pedagogy for the teaching of Mathematics
      The contents of secondary and high schools mathematics have been fixed by the law. Cameroon has been involved in international seminars aimed at harmonizing the teaching of  mathematics in 20 African states (see (1)). Agreements were achieved at the seminars of Abidjan (1992) for secondary schools and Yaounde (1995) for high schools. So, our minister of National Education signed two texts that comply with these agreements : One in 1994 (for secondary schools) and the other in 1998 (for high schools) (see 2). 
      According to those texts, the general objectives at these levels are (free translation from French) : 1) to train more and more scientists for the economic, social and cultural developments, 2) to ensure excellence teaching that comprises the mastering of logical reasoning and that enables the student to foster scientific studies as well in Cameroon as abroad ( African countries and others), 3) to privilege the acquisition of a scientific attitude which takes into account the capacity of intuition of everyone, 4) …(too long to be quoted) , 5)  to enforce the statute of mathematics as a tool  for the other subjects such as physics, economics and the human sciences.
      In the secondary school (4 years of studies),  the weekly time for mathematics are : Form 1 (5hrs), form 2 (4hrs),  form 3 (4hrs) and form 4 (4hrs). 
      In the high school (3years of studies), there is some pre-specialization. So, the weekly time for mathematics varies according to the branch of pre-specialization. The branch having mathematics as the main subject also has physics and natural sciences (biology and geology) as important subjects. For this branch the weekly time is : Year 1 of high school (6hrs),  Year 2 (7hrs) and Year 3 (9hrs).
      Details on contents and pedagogy are in the ministerial document (2). Unfortunately, it is not available on line, neither is it in a purchasable form. A hard copy will be brought to the PCMI seminar. It can be reproduced freely if there is a need.   
3. Content knowledge for teaching mathematics in Cameroon
      Eligibility as a secondary school, high school or university teacher requires some academic, as well as pedagogic knowledge and know-how. For the past ten years, government has been recruiting secondary or high school teachers who are exclusively Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) graduates. Recall that ENS, which belongs to the  university of YDE 1, is the only institution in Cameroon for the training of Mathematics teachers. It trains secondary and high school school teachers . The ENS diplomas are :
      1) DIPES I (in French, Diplôme des Professeurs  de l’enseignement  Secondaire 1er grade) : 3 years of university studies at ENS . Students of  year 3, in addition to academic and professional evaluation for their DIPES I, are also evaluated at of sciences alongside with the candidates of licence for a bachelor degree in mathematics. Standard age of graduates is 21.
       2) DIPES II (in French, Diplôme des Professeurs  de l’enseignement  Secondaire 2eme grade) : 2 years of academic and professional training at ENS for a holder of licence with or without DIPS I. The overall curriculum of DIPESS II is that of 5 years of university studies. Standard age of a DIPES II graduate is 25. 
      Some highly brilliant  former ENS maths students (but less than 5%) continue studies and research and become university teachers at ENS, at the faculty of Sciences UY1, in other state universities or abroad. For that, they have to follow a curriculum with a research laboratory alongside with their training at ENS before they are selected.  
      The diplomas needed to qualify as a secondary or high school teacher with respect to the level at which one can teach are given in the following table :

Secondary school
High school
Academic diploma
Licence or  greater
DIPES II
Pedagogic diploma
DIPES I or DIPES II
DIPES II
      This space being short, details about the contents of the courses that lead to DIPES I and II will be dropped. The main principle at ENS is that a good teacher should first of all be very comfortably familiar with the mathematics knowledge and know-how to teach. So, the minimal academic requirement is the standard 3 year university mathematics studies. Professional training comprises psycho-pedagogy and methodology lectures, and practice training. Practice training is organized in secondary and high schools where the students face true teaching situations.
      This year, we have a total of 3546 students out of which the Department of  Mathematics has 523. The 523 are distributed with respect to year of studies as follows :
Secondary school teachers
High school teachers
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 1
Year 2
139
139
99
71
75
      It is important to mention that there is no follow up program to help ex-ENS students (now secondary or high school teachers) maintain or improve their degree of competence continuously in the course of their career . 
       4. The teachers of teachers
        The university teachers in Cameroon are also researchers in some scientific domain. They are ranked as shown in the following table Where CC is chargé de cours and MC is maitre de conferences :
Grade 
Assistant
C.C
Maitre de
 Conférences
Professeur
 diploma
DEA
PHD
PHD
PHD
PHD
Title
Mister (1)
Doctor (2)
Doctor (3)
Professor (4)
Professor (5)
      Teaching competence is practiced according to the table below. Numbers identify the title of a competent teacher (with respect to the above table), while a possible star (*) means that he can only operate under the supervision of somebody who must be  (4) or a (5). 
Level
First cycle
Second cycle 
Third cycle
Type of studies
General Mathematics
Pre-specialization 
Specialization and Research
Students’ Diploma 
Licence
Maitrise 
DEA 
PHD 
Title of teacher
1*+2+3+4+5
3*+4+5
3*+4+5
3*+4+5
      ENS is one of the  5 University of  Yaounde I  schools. Government recruits the ENS teachers in priority amongst the former ENS students holders of  a PHD or an equivalent post-university qualification. The total number of ENS teachers is  200  out of which the Department of  Mathematics has 16. The 16 are ranked as follows : 
Grade 
Assistant
C. C
MC
Professeur
 diploma
DEA
PHD
PHD
PHD
PHD
number
2
1
11
2
0
      Paradoxically, there is no formal pedagogic requirement for university teaching. Only Advancing in a research field empowers one to teach at a desired level. However, he who wishes to teach with competence needs seminars like those initiated by the PCMI to develop his skills.
      References : (1) and (2) are in an non purchasable hard format which can be freely copied and distributed.
(1) Actes du 4eme seminaire d’harmonisation des programmes de Mathématiques des Pays Francophones d’Afrique Abidjan, juin 1992
(2) Programme de Mathématiques de l’enseignement secondaire général, Yaounde, 1998.
(3) www.edumathcamer.net

