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Cameroon’s teachers have entered the third phase of the strike action launched at the start of the school year under the slogan “Education at Half-Mast”. Education staff denounce the deteriorating working conditions and demand far-reaching reforms. They blame the persistent lack of political decisions on key issues for the sharp decline of the education system.

Long-standing demands

In its statement of 4 October 2025, the Teachers’ Organisations Collective of Cameroon (COREC), which represents all staff in primary, secondary, physical and sports education, including managerial personnel from the public and private sectors, condemned “the government’s systematic refusal to take concrete political and financial action in response to fundamental demands”.

Among the most urgent demands is the call for a National Education Forum to review and update the status of teachers and the strategic guidelines for the education sector. The last major meeting of this kind dates back to 1996. Teachers in the private sector are also calling for a collective bargaining agreement, as the current settlement dates back to 1964. Although progress is being made and the government is showing some willingness to cooperate, directors in the private sector are resisting the adoption of a collective bargaining agreement, which would oblige them to respect a set wage scale.

For COREC, “this impasse, stemming from a lack of political decision-making at the highest level of government, is the result of deplorable contempt for a profession that upholds the future of the nation. And it negates the promises to resolve the crisis.”

Assuming “its responsibility to the nation and to history”, COREC called on “all staff to engage in large-scale, disciplined action” in the form of a work-to-rule strike, under operation “Education at Half-Mast”, from 6 to 10 October and then 20 to 24 October 2025.

“We have been engaging in talks with the authorities since 2012, on several demands. At this point, we don’t need any more meetings with the authorities. We have already talked to them about the very same issues. They are perfectly aware of them. They pretend to ignore us, even when we go on strike,” explained Michel Tamo, general secretary of the FESER federation of education and training unions.

The impact of the presidential election

Thobie Emmanuel Mbassi, general secretary of the FECASE federation of education unions, commented on the current political situation in Cameroon and the presidential election scheduled for 12 October 2025: “In an electoral context where people want change, they are listening to proposals on new policies. They are following the opposition that is forming.”

He expressed uncertainty as to whether the opposition parties would manage to come together to reduce the number of candidates and have a chance of winning, and added that “the election is overshadowing all other activities, with the media talking about nothing but the campaign”.

The FECASE leader also explained that the unions had sent out an invitation to political parties to “tell us what they plan to do about the unions’ demands. For education to work, we need to change this regime, which is doing nothing. We need teachers to mobilise in force.”

Six parties responded to the invitation, and the meeting took place on 4 October. Three roundtables, each bringing together two candidates, were moderated by trade unionists from FECASE and FESER. They provided an opportunity for the party representatives to engage with teachers and civil society from the education sector, and to address the trade unions’ demands in their respective political programmes, reported Mbassi.

Michel Tamo added: “Teachers are involved in the elections. You can boost your campaign by saying that if the country is struggling, it’s because education is struggling. And so we must listen to the pleas of the teaching profession.”

World Teachers’ Day, on 5 October, served as an opportunity to reiterate the unions’ demands, following their meeting with opposition leaders the day before.

Communication challenges

Tamo and Mbassi also spoke of the challenges involved in informing and organising teachers in Cameroon.

“There was no group press conference; we contacted newspapers that reported on it,” said Michel Tamo. “We chose to communicate more through social media, so that each union could mobilise on its own regional, departmental and local platform, and reach as many members as possible. Teachers are made aware of issues by their unions.”

Phased strike action

Confronted with the lack of tangible responses from the government, COREC decided to launch collective action in several stages. From 8 to 12 September 2025, teachers staged “Operation Dead Chalk”, during which they went into school but did not give classes. From 15 to 17 September, they staged a complete walkout, under the banner “Operation Dead School”. The action has been stepped up since 6 October 2025.

Go Public! Fund Education

The teachers’ demands are fully in line with the Go Public! Fund Education campaign launched over two years ago by Education International. The campaign is an urgent call for governments to invest in public education, a fundamental human right and public good, and to invest more in teachers, the single most important factor in achieving quality education. Under the Go Public! banner, education unions are working together across borders to ensure every student’s right to a qualified, well-supported teacher and a quality learning environment.

The strike is a clear reflection of the serious discontent within the profession. The legitimate demands put forward by COREC speak to the need for a profound reform of the education system in Cameroon. Confronted with the government’s inertia, the teaching profession has mobilised to defend its dignity and protect the future of the country’s younger generations.