Compared to their State-owned counterparts, Private Higher Institutes charge a fortune for their training.

Every year, universities and tertiary institutes in Cameroon churn out thousands of graduates into a job market that is not always ready to absorb them. Among the main reasons for this situation is the fact that most of these graduates did not receive professional training. Thus, government has over the past few years embarked on a drive to professionalise education.

Not left out of this new craze are Private Higher Institutes, PHIs; with thousands of them operating in all regions of the country.

Unlike State-owned schools, PHIs charge a fortune for their training. According to sources, the high cost of training in private higher institutions is explained by the fact that proprietors need to break even or even make some profit in order to pay lecturers (full and part-time) as well as handle other recurrent expenses. Moreover, Private Higher Institute owners complain that they do not receive sufficient subventions.

The Sup de CO higher institute in the Ngousso neighbourhood of Yaounde charges FCFA 1 million for the first and second years, while tuition for the third year costs FCFA 1.5 million. The school offers management, commercial and entrepreneurial courses.

A source suggested that the high cost is explained by the fact that the school flies in some lecturers from its partner institutions in France. Also in Yaounde, the ISTAG institute in the Quartier Fouda neighbourhood collects about FCFA 300,000 for its BTS (the Francophone equivalent of Higher National Diploma) courses and FCFA 600,000 for the “Licence Professionnelle.”

Meanwhile, in the Siantou Higher Institute of Business and Technological Science, SHIBTS, Yaounde, tuition for the Professional Bachelor’s Degree of Technology, BA Tech, is FCFA 525,000. This one-year course is for Higher National Diploma, HND holders. On the other hand, HND courses cost FCFA 325,000 per annum.

National Polytechnic, Bambui, near Bamenda, charges FCFA 350,000 for HND Nursing, FCFA 270,000 for HND Business Studies and FCFA 350,000 for HND Engineering courses. Included in all these amounts is annual registration fee that is about FCFA 60,000. For the Professional Degree, the school collects FCFA 500,000 for registration and tuition.

In the Saint Louis University Institute, Bamenda, HND training in Radiology in the first and second years costs FCFA 375,000. The school demands FCFA 385,000 for Level Three or the Professional Bachelor’s Degree course.

At the Catholic University Institute of Buea, CUIB, the cost of training for the four-year Bachelor’s Degree is FCFA 890,000. The Bachelor of Technology Degree costs FCFA 540,000. Its training lasts one year after the two-year Higher National Diploma certificate. On the other hand, HND courses in CUIB cost FCFA 390,000 per annum.