Cameroon: Children Return to School, but Conflict Keeps Many Classrooms Empty

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

YAOUNDE, PAV – At 7 am on Monday, September 7, school bells rang across much of Cameroon, marking the start of the 2026/27 academic year. But in the country’s anglophone regions, the first day of term was marked by empty classrooms, shuttered gates and the continuing weight of nearly a decade of conflict.

In parts of the Centre, Littoral, East and other French-speaking regions, children arrived in new uniforms, answered their first roll calls and settled into classrooms for another year of lessons. Some late arrivals were sent away to correct their appearance. Pupils whose hairstyles did not conform to school rules were turned back at the gates, with some girls rushing to salons and boys heading for nearby barbers before returning to class.

In the North West and South West, however, the return to school was far less visible. A separatist-imposed lockdown intended to disrupt the reopening of schools left many establishments largely deserted on Monday. In major towns across the two regions, classrooms remained quiet, and school compounds recorded little activity.

The contrast was particularly stark in communities where families have spent years trying to keep their children’s education going despite violence, displacement and repeated disruption. Some boarding schools were an exception, having begun receiving pupils before the lockdown date. But for many day schools, the first official day of the new academic year passed with little sign of a normal resumption.

The disruption reflects the continuing vulnerability of education in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, where schools have repeatedly been caught up in the conflict between government forces and separatist fighters. Over the years, teachers and pupils have been killed, abducted or threatened, while schools have been attacked and parents forced to send their children to safer parts of the country.

For a generation of children in the North West and South West, the disruption has meant missed lessons, interrupted academic years and, in some cases, the abandonment of formal education altogether. The latest lockdown therefore carries significance beyond a single day of missed classes. It highlights the continuing struggle to restore education as a routine part of life in communities affected by the conflict.

The Minister of Secondary Education, Professor Nalova Lyonga, toured some schools as part of preparations for the 2026/27 academic year. Her visit included the Government Teachers’ Training College, Government Technical High School, Sacred Heart College and Government Bilingual High School in Mbalmayo, in the Centre region.

Minister Nalova Lyonga also visited the inclusive Government Teachers’ Training College in Mbalmayo as part of efforts to assess preparations in selected public and private secondary schools.

The Prime Minister and Head of Government, Dion Ngute, also sent a message to the education community, wishing pupils, teachers and school administrators a successful academic year. “The Government of the Republic of Cameroon has placed education at the heart of its priorities and commitments, because educating our citizens is priceless,” Ngute said.

In the East region, the school year was also getting underway despite difficult weather conditions. At Mokolo 4 High School in Bertoua, the school community reported for the new academic year, with the principal, Zoa Ebene Pierre Thierry, saying the school year has taken off effectively.

But the scenes from elsewhere in the country accentuate the uneven nature of Cameroon’s return to school. The government has repeatedly insisted that education must continue in the conflict-affected regions, while security measures have been strengthened around schools.

Yet the empty classrooms on Monday demonstrated the limits of administrative measures in an environment where fear continues to influence decisions about whether children can safely attend school.

The conflict has also deepened inequalities between children in affected regions and those studying elsewhere. While pupils in Yaoundé, Douala, Bertoua and other areas returned to classrooms, some children in the Anglophone regions began another school year under the shadow of a conflict that has already disrupted much of their childhood.