Two weeks to the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year in Cameroon, many parents and guardians are yet to begin buying books and stationery for their children. Usually at this time of the year, parents already start buying books for their children while waiting for the beginning of the new school year. However, this is not the case this time around, especially in Yaounde where most of the bookshops were practically empty yesterday, August 19, 2015.

At the Librairie St. Paul yesterday in downtown Yaounde, little work was going on. One could see few parents buying books and other school items for their children. Mrs Nganfeu, a mother of six, said she prefers buying books for her children early in order to avoid last-minute rush.

At the main entrance into the bookshop, parents were busy checking the prices of books on the notice board. The Director of Librarie St. Paul, Berthin Fouda, said turnout was still timid. He said the prices harmonised by the Ministry of Trade were published late.

Also, only books of local publishers were available while those of the foreign publishers are not yet available due to problems with customs duty at the Douala Seaport, he explained. Berthin Fouda said parents are waiting for August pay before beginning to buy. At the Pressbook Bookshop in EMIA Junction in Melen, workers were busy arranging books and other school items on the shelves and getting them ready for sale. What caught the attention of this reporter was the fact that there were no buyers.

The Director of Pressbook Yaounde, Tangang Omer Asangbe, said a good number of parents have started coming to buy books and other school needs for their children because they want to avoid overcrowding at the end. He said the problem now was that not all the books were available. He also said the sales are low for now because many people are still waiting for salaries before buying. Another problem is that some publishers publish their books late to avoid piracy. As a result, many books may still be absent in the market.

Also, publishers constantly revise their books. While the public demands revised versions, the old ones are still in stock. At Cosmopen Bookshop opposite Presbook, the story was the same. The Director, Fidelis Ekanem, said few parents are coming to buy and that majority of the parents say money is the problem. He however expressed hope that as from next week when salaries are paid, the story will be different.