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The 2023-2024 school year in Cameroon ended on a high note for nearly 60,000 students in the last year of primary school, despite many obstacles, they were able to obtain the ¡°first diploma¡± of their lives: their birth certificate.

Lucresse believed she would be unable to enroll in the bilingual high school in Ngaound¨¦r¨¦ this year. Like many other students in CM2 in the Adamawa region, she was among the 47.1% of primary cycle students without a birth certificate, a crucial document required for pursuing higher education.

In Cameroon, the issue of birth certificates remains substantial despite ongoing campaigns by various organizations, including and UNICEF, to raise awareness among parents about the importance of obtaining a birth certificate for their  newborns. According to 2023 data from the Ministry of Basic Education, approximately 1,250,000 students in Cameroon's public primary schools enrolled in public primary schools in Cameroon were without a birth certificate. As a result, when these children reach CM2 or Class 6 in the English-speaking system, they are unable to apply for end-of-year examinations, leading directly to a significant dropout rate from primary education.

A notable attempt to identify and proceed

The (PAREC), in synergy with institutional partners such as the Ministries of Basic Education, Justice, Health, Territorial Administration, Promotion of Women and the Family, UNICEF, and the National Civil Status Office (BUNEC), has initiated a comprehensive operation. The initiative aims to register late births of students completing their education and to issue birth certificates for children in CM2 and Class 6 between April and May 2024 throughout Cameroon.

According to Prof. Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, Minister of Basic Education, ¡°The establishment and issuance of birth certificates to students at the end of the primary cycle for the 2023/2024 school year not only ensures the effective implementation of the sector strategy but also promotes the education of our children and provides them with a legal identity. Cameroon thereby adheres to its international commitments concerning the protection of children's rights.¡±

Coordination at multiple levels was necessary for the operation's success:

• At the central level, including a national supervision commission and a technical coordination team implemented by PAREC.
• At the operational level, including courts and special mobile court hearings.
• And at the local level, involving district commissions, departmental and regional inspectorates responsible for education, school principals, and parents.

Specific and measurable outcomes

Following 544 special mobile court hearings and 48,232 favorable decisions, 98% of the targeted children in CM2 and Class 6 were able to participate in the end-of-primary examinations.

Following discussions with various stakeholders and drawing on lessons from the first phase, it was possible to reduce the cost of drafting deeds by over 76%, lowering these costs from nearly CFAF 9,500 to approximately CFAF 2,015. Additionally, the reduction in age certificate fees from around CFAF 1,500 to approximately CFAF 600 could potentially result in an almost 80 percent decrease in statutory costs. Ongoing negotiations with the Ministry of Health aim to increase this fee to 300 CFA francs.

What are the upcoming plans for the new academic year?

The success of this operation led to approval of a second phase to cover all students without birth certificates in Cameroon. The goal is to issue 1,450,000 pupils (49% girls) with birth certificates so they can continue their studies without risking dropout or repeating a year.

To achieve this objective, an estimated CFAF 400,000 million will be required. Discussions are currently ongoing with partners, including UNICEF, the AfDB, and UNESCO.

The 2023-2024 special operation remains a transitional measure. It is important to address the following aspects to effectively tackle this issue in the Cameroonian education system:

• Making birth certificates more flexible and accessible.
• Reducing procedural costs to enable poorer households to afford them. With a poverty line of US$2.5/day, over 20 days of work are currently required to cover the costs of obtaining deeds in Cameroon.
• Establishing a single window system to limit the effort and risk of loss associated with the process.
• Strengthening the involvement of school management committees, principals, teachers, and parents to play a greater role in monitoring and assisting students without birth certificates.