Children in fragile settings experiencing conflict are more than twice as likely to be out of school compared with those living in countries not affected by conflict. This is not different in the case of Cameroon. Despite making progress in some UN sustainable development gaol 4 indicators in recent years, Cameroon’s education sector still faces many challenges particularly because of crisis plaguing the country. As of September 2018, Cameroon was featured for the first time in the list of countries where education is under attack. This was a result of two ongoing crisis. The first is the Far North region where Boko Haram continues to carry on attacks. The second is based on the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions, where non-state actors have enforced a school boycott entering its fourth academic year in September 2020.  As of November 2019, OCHA reported that 90 percent of public primary schools and 77 percent of secondary schools in the Northwest and Southwest regions were closed or non-operational, and that 91 percent of school-aged children remained out of school. Despite the reported increase in school attendance as of January 2020, over 70% of children have been unable to attend school mostly due to parent’s fear for their safety as the crisis persists

We believe in the power of education in unlocking the potential of the younger generation and for driving peace and sustainable development in local communities. Education and development are intrinsically linked: schools and formal educational settings are pivotal in helping individuals achieve their own economic and social and cultural objectives and helping society to be better protected, better served by its leaders and more equitable in important ways. Continued denial of education not only harms the individual child in the short term as they grow and mature but also damages their community’s long-term developmental goals.

We believe in fostering the goals of ‘Education for All’ aimed at meeting the learning needs of children, youths and adults. Education is critical for securing brighter futures for children whose lives have been disrupted by conflict or disaster.

We focus on the following:

• Safe Schools: We promote safe schools through advocacy based on the 2015 Safe Schools Declaration adhered to by Cameroon in 2018. The Safe Schools Declaration is an inter-governmental political agreement that outlines a set of commitments to strengthen the protection of education from attack and restrict use of schools and universities for military purposes. It seeks to ensure the continuity of safe education during armed conflict. We work in partnership with other civil society organizations child rights advocates and government to ensure children’s right to education in safe and secure conditions is at the forefront of policy.

SODEI’s Statement on Violence in Schools in the Anglophone Regions of Cameroon

SODEI exists to champion and empower children and young people through extending educational opportunities, encouraging civic engagement and nurturing youth participation. We believe unconditionally in the rights of children and young people to self-expression, equal opportunities and, most importantly, access to education. Furthermore, we believe in the importance of education as a universal right not only to improve and protect the lives of young people, but also to increase the potential of any society for growth, stability and equality. In light of these values, we are compelled to publicly declare our condemnation of any barriers to education and self-development that may affect children living in conflict zones or areas in which education has been targeted by violence and persecution.

In the Anglophone regions of Cameroon there is an ongoing crisis between politically opposed forces which has led to conflict ravaging the Southwest and Northwest regions of the country. Much of this violence is targeted at local communities and, in particular, at schools, with pupils and teachers frequently facing attacks. The atrocities that have been perpetrated during these attacks have directly affected the areas in which SODEI works and operates. Schools have been regularly assaulted by armed groups, and tragically this has led to the loss of many lives and the horrific traumatisation of many children and teachers. SODEI would like to extend our deepest sympathies, solidarity and support to those affected and their families, and condemn in the strongest terms any further violence against school children and their teachers.

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Factsheet on the Right to Education

What is the right to education?

Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of other human rights. It promotes individual freedom and empowerment. To have the right to education means that one’s education (formal and informal) is legally guaranteed, that no discrimination will cause an impediment to the right and that a State can be held accountable if someone’s right to education is hampered. Article 2 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children and young people have the right to education regardless of their identity, race, gender or disability; if they’re in detention, or if they’re a refugee.

Children and young people have the right to both primary and secondary education and should be able to choose different subjects when in secondary school. This should include the option of technical and vocational training.

Statistics on children’s lack of access to education

According to UNICEF, factors such conflict, gender, location, disability and socioeconomic status exclude 263 million young people from school and deny them a chance to reach their full potential.

• 63 million children of primary school age (typically aged 6-11 years) are not in school.
• 61 million adolescents of lower secondary school (typically aged 12-14) are not in school.
• Adolescents of upper secondary school age, from 15-17 years, make up the largest group of those out of school. About 139 million (53 per cent of the total) are not in school.
• More than one half of all out-of-school children are in sub-Saharan Africa.
• 50 per cent of children who are out of school are girls.
• Nearly 1 in 4 of out-of-school children live in crises-affected countries.

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The state of children and their right to education in Anglophone Cameroon 2018

The Anglophone regions of Cameroon have since late 2016 witnessed a sociopolitical crisis which has deteriorated overtime and led to violent clashes between armed forces, loss of lives and property, internal displacement and a growing climate of fear and incertitude. According to latest United Nations estimates, 1,800 people have been killed and over 500,000 displaced since 2017. The humanitarian situation in these regions has also deteriorated fast leaving children more exposed and ultimately the most affected in all the group of victims. The focus of the available humanitarian response is hardly education even though most victims are women and children. Concerns for children in these troubled regions include security, physical and mental well-being and access to education.

Education has a vital role to play in the adoption of strategies that reduce risks of conflict and create a culture of peace and resilience. Every child has the right to education but that is more than can be said for every child in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions. For the last three years, students in the English – speaking regions have hardly had a full uninterrupted school year. From an imposed ghost town every Monday to spontaneous shutdowns which have sometimes lasted 10 days, an already prejudiced system of education can hardly thrive. Education in these regions has suffered a terrible blow with the shutdown or even burning of schools, the targeting of schools by armed persons, kidnapping of students and speculations of the cancellation of the academic year due to the time lost. UNICEF has recently estimated that up to 80% of schools in the southwest and northwest regions have been closed affecting more than 600,000 children. The situation is even more precarious for those children whose parents have lost their livelihoods and or are in a situation of involuntary displacement, causing serious financial constraints and thereby putting a ceiling over the rights of many children to education.

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