Cameroon Schools Resume, But Conflict Keeps Children Out in Northwest and Southwest.

Cameroon — Schools across Cameroon officially resumed on September 7, 2026, for the 2026/2027 academic year. However, the reality in the country’s Northwest and Southwest Regions remains different, as many pupils, students and teachers continue to stay away from classrooms amid insecurity linked to the ongoing Anglophone crisis.

Fear of kidnapping, violence and possible death following lockdowns imposed by separatist fighters has continued to affect school attendance in the two English-speaking regions.

Education Disrupted by Conflict.

Since the escalation of the Anglophone crisis in 2016, education in the Northwest and Southwest Regions has suffered prolonged disruptions. Although schools have gradually resumed in some parts of the regions, particularly in urban centres, many schools in suburban and rural communities continue to face difficulties returning to normal operations. Parents who can afford to rent houses in urban areas such as Buea, Kumba, Limbe, Nkambe and Bamenda, or relocate outside the Northwest and Southwest, have been able to send their children to school. However, many others remain unable to afford such arrangements, leaving their children with limited access to education.

Lockdowns and Insecurity.

The situation has been further complicated by repeated lockdowns imposed by separatist fighters. Mondays have traditionally been observed as ghost-town days in many parts of the two regions, restricting movement and affecting the number of days children can attend school. For years, reports of children being adopted, teachers kidnapped and others allegedly killed over alleged violations of separatist directives have deepened fear among families and education stakeholders. As a result, some children attend school only from Tuesday to Friday, while others remain out of school altogether.

Unequal Access to Education.

The prolonged crisis has created significant disparities in educational access between children in the Northwest and Southwest and their peers in other regions of Cameroon. Despite the disruptions, pupils and students in the conflict-affected regions are expected to sit for the same national examinations as those schooling elsewhere. This has raised concerns over whether children who have lost significant learning time can compete on equal terms with students who have enjoyed more stable academic conditions.

Calls for Effective School Resumption.

Over the years, the government, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations have campaigned for the effective resumption of schools in the Northwest and Southwest Regions. These efforts have focused on restoring access to education and encouraging parents and teachers to return to classrooms. However, insecurity and the fear of reprisals continue to pose challenges to a full return to normal schooling.

As the 2026/2027 academic year gets underway, the situation in the two regions highlights the continuing impact of the Anglophone crisis on education and the future of thousands of children.

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝒖𝒑𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔, 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒏 676279249.

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