We need greater autonomy

- Private Higher Education authorities tell gov’t
By Ajongakou Santos in Buea

Cross- Section of Participants

The first ever conference on Private Higher Education Institutions in the South West and North West Regions with the Ministry of Higher Education has ended in Buea, with all 31 Private Higher Education Institutions of the South West and North West Regions of Cameroon who converged at the Buea Mountain Hotel requesting autonomy from the Cameroon government, through the Ministry of Higher Education.
The two day conference (April 27-April 28, 2015) follows the second plenary planning meeting of Friday April 17, 2015 at the Catholic University Institute of Buea, attended by some 16 private Higher Education Institutions during which Madam Francisca Biaka of Saint Francis Higher Institute of Nursing and Midwifery, Buea said was to enable Private Higher Education Institutions in the North West and South West express their concerns to the ministry of Higher Education.
    Just like a similar conference had been held with the 42 private Higher Education Institutions in the Littoral Region, this two-day conference had similar objectives, which dawdle around; pointing out that PHEIs are relevant in the country, safeguarding a pathway towards independence of PHEIs, attract media coverage, come out with specific proposals, and produce a post-conference magazine, while speaking out with one voice.

    While speaking to participants at the conference, the Inspector General of Academic Affairs at the Ministry of Higher Education, representing the Minister, said, the state is and will always supports the private education sector both, qualitatively and quantitatively, but decried the fact that, the unprofessionalism that loops most Private Higher Education Institutions 14 years since the state closed her eyes to such a vice does not warrant the autonomy these institutions of learning are asking for.
    The message from the minister was however clear to all 31 institutions; private higher institutions of learning have the go ahead to train and self-evaluate their students but have the responsibility of upgrading the quality of education they offer.     As of what concerns the issuing of certificates; a pertinent issue raised by the private institutions, the Cameroon government remains the sole accreditor of certificates to all state recognised private higher institutions of learning, (19 of which are in the South West Region and 12 in the North West Region), given that, education remains the priority of the state.
    While challenging the 31 PHEI participants to make Cameroon education more professional, the Inspector General of Academic Affairs asked them to shun acculturating the educational system of the country with strange programmes without government’s knowledge.
    For his part, Rev. Fr. George Nkeze- Conference Coordinator- lamented the sundry problems and procedure most private higher education institutions go through just to get government’s attention. He, on behalf of the other participants begged for academic freedom such that higher education institutions are self-motivational, self-evaluating and self-renewing given the poor performance of Cameroon’s higher education institutions at the international scene.
    To make matters worse, the Minister’s representative made clear the procedures needed for the grant of autonomy to any private higher institution of learning in Cameroon. It involved; authorisations by the state to operate, the long service of such institutions and the total compliance of these institutions with the state.
    The confusion and imbroglio that plagued most participants seemed obvious as most left with the conviction that, the state has once again closed her ears to their cry. It was the occasion for all and sundry at the conference to know that just two private universities in Cameroon have the right to issue certificates to its students (the Cameroon Catholic University and the Adventist University of Nanga Eboko).
    Other issues discussed included; presentations on the relevance and significance of PHEIs in Higher professional Education in Cameroon, the relevance and the quality of the training in PHEIs by Prof. Titanji of the Cameroon Christian University, Bali, an assessment and character of PHEIs, the mentorship of PHEIs by state and accredited foreign Universities, the certification and autonomy, Homologation and Independence of PHEIs.
    The two-day conference under the theme; Capacity Building of Private Higher Education Institutions raped-up in the presence of the South West Governor’s special adviser for economic social and cultural affairs (representing the governor), the representative of the Mayor of Buea, the representative of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, Prof. Vincent Titanji- Chancellor of the Cameroon Christian University, Prof. Michael Suh Neba, of the Catholic University of Bamenda, and other stakeholders at the ministry of Higher Education.