The Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, UNCHRD-CA, Ahowanou Agbessi, has pledged to support the Government of Cameroon in promoting the education of the indigenous populations.

He made the promise in Yaounde, September 11, in an opening address at a workshop which brought together development partners to ponder on the issue of access to education for indigenous populations of Cameroon.

Addressing stakeholders, he said, in prelude to the gathering, the Ministry of Basic Education had organised a workshop to reflect on strategies and methods of adaptation on issues such as teaching, the culture and mode of living of indigenous people. The meeting was aimed at putting in place strategies and methods capable of favouring larger accountability of specificities of the educational system of indigenous populations.

Agbessi added that the workshop would reinforce the objectives of the former gathering and favour the setting up of a platform between the various development partners, in order to better shape their actions, for better accountability as far as the right to education of indigenous children of Cameroon is concerned.

The Director stressed on the fact that the issue of access to education for indigenous children is a cause for concern on the part of development partners. To him, despite the numerous initiatives in this domain, the results are mitigating. He pointed out the multiplicity of approaches and the absence of coordination and a common strategy among actors as the cause of this.

On his part, the representative of the Minister of Basic Education to the gathering, saluted the initiative and congratulated the centre and UNICEF for such a laudable initiative and further remarked that the Government of Cameroon would do everything to foster the education of indigenous populations.

Nadine Mballa Wilson told The Post that many indigenous children go to school very late.

“There are many initiatives targeting the education of these indigenous children, but there was no platform for the discussion of this issue by stakeholders, reason for the gathering”, she added.

Throughout the workshop, several presentations were made in which various initiatives to support the education of indigenous children and the balance sheet of their activities, so far.