The financing of secondary education in Mezam Division, North West Province Cameroon : an uneasy partnership between family and state

Abstract

The government of Cameroon like that of many Sub-S aharan African countries is
\nfaced with dwindling revenues and cannot provide the required fmances for the education
\nsector. Since many other developing countries are facing similar fmancial constraints,
\npolicy options have been proposed for the recovery of costs as a way of revitalizing and
\nimproving the quality of education in these countries. The introduction of user charges is
\none of the more prominent options that applies to all levels of education. In light of the
\neducational financing situation in Cameroon, this study sets out to assess the possibility
\nof implementing this option. It therefore seeks to analyze how secondary schools are
\nfmanced and to measure private direct costs of secondary education so as to determine
\nparental willingness to spend on schooling.
\nA household and a school survey were conducted in Mezam Division of the North
\nWest Province of Cameroon. 335 households in urban and rural areas were involved in
\nthe household survey, while 16 principals and 750 students, selected from 16 secondary
\nschools, took part in the school survey. Results from these surveys indicate that in
\ngovernment secondary schools, although tuition is provided free, parents are obliged to
\nmeet the costs of books and uniforms. Moreover, because government funding is
\ninadequate, by default, parents are obliged to contribute further towards the provision of
\nadditional facilities in these schools through the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Thus
\nparents incur substantial costs for their children's education, in relation to household
\nincome and Gross National per Capita Income. The study also reveals that in the private
\neducational sector, fees and other parental contributions, including PTA levies, form an
\nimportant source of finance for secondary schools. Parents of government school students
\nvalue the education of their children highly, and therefore indicated willingness to pay
\nmore, even though they already incur substantial costs. The findings further indicate that
\nwillingness to pay will be increased if the quality of education is improved. However,
\nability to pay is related to family income and number of children, which have important
\nimplications for equity which are discussed in the thesis. Finally the study reveals that the
\nhighly centralized financing policy and practice in government secondary schools does not
\ntake into account the fmancial capacity of communities and private individuals
\nsufficiently.
\nThe thesis argues that, in order to improve access, quality and efficiency of
\neducational provision, an appropriate cost-sharing strategy needs to be developed to
\nfinance government secondary schools, with provision of scholarships or other selective
\nassistance to the most needy. The thesis suggests further that, efforts be made to explore
\nparental willingness and the inherent self help tradition of the people, by encouraging
\nlocal management and fmancing of schools. Hence support from individual users and
\ncontributions from local communities through Parent-Teacher-Associations should be
\nactively solicited. It also suggests that the decentralization of educational management of
\nschools will go a long way towards enhancing educational quality and efficiency. This
\nwill require some adjustments to the existing financing structures, and changes in the
\nregulation and management of the education system. The successful implementation of
\nthese recommendations require immense political will on the part of the policy makers.