By SA’AH SIONA IKEI
The 23rd evaluation session for books and textbooks in the First Cycle of General Secondary Education in Cameroon has opened in Yaoundé this week. The evaluation is being carried out by the National Council for the Approval of Textbooks and Didactic Material (CNAMSMD) and encompasses both the Anglophone and Francophone subsystems. The session received a significant number of textbook offers, with a total of 532 submissions from publishers.
According to CNAMSMD figures, the Anglophone subsystem accounted for 286 offers, while the Francophone subsystem received 246 offers. The total value of the offers reached 53,200,000 FCFA, with publishers paying a fee of 100,000 FCFA per textbook.
The submissions were made by three groups of publishers, including 45 national publishers and four foreign publishers from France, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and England. The third submission consisted of a co-publication involving both foreign and national publishers.
To ensure the quality and relevance of the textbooks, the CNAMSMD will thoroughly review and approve the submitted materials. It is expected that 77 textbooks from the Anglophone subsystem and 56 textbooks from the Francophone subsystem will receive approval, resulting in a total of 133 approved textbooks out of the 532 received.
The purchase price for the textbook offers has been increased from 50,000 FCFA to 100,000 FCFA per textbook. Despite this adjustment, the amount remains comparatively low compared to neighboring countries such as Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon.
The evaluation process involved subject-specific experts recommended by the Minister of Secondary Education, as well as representatives from trade unions, parents' associations, secular and religious private education secretariats, and publishing experts. Representatives from the Ministries of Culture, Youth Affairs and Civic Education, Youth and Sports, and Trade also actively participated in the evaluation process.
Meanwhile, the schools texts used for the last six years expire this 2023/2024 academic year.
Sa'ah Siona Ikei
Creative Storyteller
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