“The recommendations of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession are universally relevant and address the challenges of teachers in Cameroon and beyond.”
Inspired and motivated by the clear recommendations of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, which calls for adequate and equitable funding for education and access to well-qualified and well-supported teachers as an investment in the quality and sustainability of education systems. Cameroon's teachers are planning to go public! Funding their education campaign efforts to a new level.
Against the backdrop of chronic underinvestment in education, Cameroon's education budget is only about 3.16% of GDP and 14% of the national budget, far below the minimum amount recommended by the United Nations of 6% of GDP and 20% of the national budget. Significantly below ground: education leaders and international affiliates in Cameroon – the Cameroon General Federation for Education (FECASE), the General Federation for Environment and Safety (FESER), and the Cameroon Business Management Federation (SYNTESPRIC) – pledge to work closely together We will work together to be even stronger in a united campaign to achieve greater investment in teachers and education.
The lack of investment in teachers has resulted in lower salaries for teachers compared to other professions, increased precarious employment, and a consequent lack of respect for the teaching profession. This situation is accelerating the rate of teachers leaving the profession and exacerbating the shortage of qualified teachers. Unions are responding by organizing and advocating for increased funding for quality public education and the advancement of the teaching profession.
As part of our participation in Go Public! The foundation education campaigns, FECASE, FESER and SYNTESPRIC, will engage a wide range of union members in building union capacity in each of the country's 10 regions. We will also liaise with key stakeholders such as parent and teacher organizations and other civil society organizations.
Let's publish! The Fund Education campaign, led by Education International, urges governments to invest in public education, which is a fundamental human right and public good, and to invest more in teachers, the most important element in achieving quality education. This is an urgent call. This includes guaranteeing workers' rights and good working conditions, as well as ensuring manageable workloads and competitive salaries for teachers and education workers. It also means valuing teachers, ensuring they are at the center of decision-making, and trusting their pedagogical expertise.
