Cameroon’s education sector faces widespread disruption as a four-day nationwide teachers’ strike kicks off on April 22. The “École Morte” (Dead School) campaign, organized by the Collective of Teachers’ Organisations of Cameroon, has rallied over a dozen trade unions united in demanding sweeping reforms to address the country’s deteriorating education system. The strike centers on six key demands, including the organization of a national education forum to overhaul the system, the revision and improvement of teachers’ special status, a collective agreement for private school teachers, solutions for chronic salary delays and arrears, better working conditions and access to social protection and the need for greater transparency in recruitment and deployment processes.
The protest follows a formal warning issued in March after prolonged dissatisfaction over unfulfilled government promises dating back years. Although Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform held a meeting with union leaders on April 17, the unions dismissed the dialogue as insufficient and lacking tangible commitments.
Teachers across public and private schools are now demanding swift and decisive action, warning that failure to address their concerns could lead to extended strikes and deeper educational paralysis. The movement comes amid a broader crisis in Cameroon’s public sector, where wage arrears, under-resourced schools, and contractual instability continue to undermine the education of millions of students. Organizers say the strike is not only about teachers’ welfare, but also about restoring dignity and functionality to the nation’s schooling system.
