Dibussi Tande
Should admissions into state-owned universities be based solely on merit or should “sociological balance” be taken into account?
At the root of the deadly crisis that engulfed the University of Buea in November / December 2006 were deep-seated disagreements over the application of the principle of “regional balance”, Cameroon’s attempt at affirmative action. The crisis began when Prof. Fame Ndongo, the Minister of Higher Education invalidated the list of successful candidates eligible to participate in the oral part of the entrance examination into the Faculty of Medicine which had been published by that university’s Vice Chancellor.
According to the Minister, the Vice Chancellor’s list was null and void because it was based solely on merit (it consisted of the best 127 candidates who sat for the written part of the exam) and failed to "respect of the sociological balance [of Cameroon], the guarantor of national integration and stability".
As the Minister pointed out in a press release carried by the national media:
"... the list of eligible candidates to sit the oral part of the examination [was] composed of 127 anglophone candidates and no francophone candidate, whereas out of the 870 candidates who sat for the written part of this examination, there were 292 francophone candidates, that is 33.56% of the total... As a result... 26 best francophone candidates were added by the Jury to the list of eligible candidates to sit for the oral part of the examination, without suppressing a single name of successful anglophone candidates, thereby bringing the total number of candidates eligible to sit for the oral part of the examination to 153."
And when the final list of the 85 successful candidates was made public, an accompanying press release stressed that the list was driven by “regional balance” considerations. For the first time in the history of public examinations in Cameroon, official results included a detailed breakdown of the linguistic and provincial origins of the successful candidates: - 25 Francophones were admitted against 60 Anglophones with the following provincial breakdown: 39 students from the Northwest province; 21 from the Southwest; 6 for the Western province; 4 from Adamawa; 4 from the South; 4 from the Center, 3 for the North; 2 from the Littoral; 2 from the Far North, and 3 from the East.
Although the Minister insisted that this balance was in conformity with texts governing Higher Education in Cameroon, it was definitely not in conformity with the ministerial decision signed by the same Minister in August 2006 organizing the examination into the UB medical school.
According to Article 10 of the decision: "A l’issue de l’étude du dossier et des épreuves écrites, le jury dresse et publie par ordre alphabétique la liste des 72 meilleurs candidats admissibles à l’épreuve orale." (i.e., after the review of student files and the written examination, the jury shall publish, in alphabetic order, the list of the best 72 candidates eligible to take part in the oral exams).
According to article 12 (1) of the same decision, “à l’issue de l’entretien, le jury établit une liste des candidats proposés à l’admission au concours par ordre de mérite en tenant compte des notes obtenues aux trois épreuves” (i.e., after )the orals, the jury shall establish a list of candidates proposed for admission by order of merit.
Lambi Erred
As an aside, it is noteworthy that article 12(2) of the ministerial order clearly states that “les résultats définitifs sont publiés par Communiqué du Ministre de l’Enseignement Supérieur” (i.e., the final results are published through a communiqué issued by the Minister of Higher Education). On this point at least, Fame Ndongo was right to insist in a memorandum that dismissed Vice Chancellor Cornelius Lambi overstepped his authority when he unilaterally published a list of successful candidates without consulting the Minister of Higher Education – but that is another story for another time which goes to the failings of Cameroon’s over-centralized system which one foreign observer argues, “will either drown itself, or kill any hope of innovation and advancement.”
Outrage across the land
Predictably, the entire UB saga sparked outrage across the country, particularly among English speaking Cameroonians. As The Post newspaper stated in a commentary,
"The lessons from the recent University of Buea saga are numerous. When it comes to Anglophone institutions, the government voraciously announces ‘regional balance’. Where, one may ask Prof. Fame Ndongo, is regional balance in CUSS, Polytechnic, School of Public Works, Police College(s), CEFAM, P&T School, ENAP, ESSTIC, ENAM etc, etc?”
The reaction was largely the same among Francophone Cameroonians as evidenced by a stinging commentary by Le Messager columnist, Shanda Tonme:
The Minister published the results, indicating the percentage of successful candidates by ethnicity, in effect by Bantustan, like in the worst days of the Apartheid regime in South, all in the name of regional balance. Why is there no balance in the number of Vice Chancellors [in state-owned universities]? Why are two out of six Vice Chancellors from the same ethno-tribal group as the Minister?
…
Why is regional balance not applied everywhere? Does the Minister know that his native province has one Member of Parliament for every 24,000 inhabitants against one Member of Parliament for more than 350,000 inhabitants in the Littoral, West and North-West provinces? Does the Minister know that one out of five Police Commissioners, one out of three Police Officers, one out of four Army officers, one out of three cabinet ministers, are natives of the Centre-South? Where then is the (regional) balance that the Minister talks about, if not in the voracious determination to control and grab everything by practicing exclusion and marginalization, and by encouraging the spread of sentiments of hate and revenge, to the greatest misfortune of the country?During his ten-year reign as the head of Cameroon's lone state-owned school of journalism... one out of three student journalists trained in that institution were from the Centre-South
So, where is the balance?
Topsy-turvy Regional Balance?
Was The Post right in claiming that UB had been singled out as a testing ground for this nebulous concept called regional balance? Was the whole “regional balance” talk simply a means to hide the fact that the ruling elite tried to force their “dull kids” on UB at the expense of meritocracy and competence as Tomne argued? In short, was the application of "regional balance" at UB really an anomaly within Cameroon's higher education system?
It is not possible to answer this question conclusively without a detailed study of the ethno-regional breakdown of the origins of students admitted into the different institutions of higher learning across the country. However, anecdotal evidence clearly indicates that ethno-political favoritism rather than regional balance has governed the admission process into the Grandes Ecoles in the last couples of decades – just as the Biya regime tried unsuccessfully to artificially create a Beti business class in the mid 1980s to rival the Bamileke, so too did it try (this time with great success) to create a new Beti elite within the higher echelons of the public service, the police and the army by manipulating the admissions process into professional schools...).
Until November last year, the website of the Ministry of Higher Education carried detailed admission results for the country’s professional schools. However, the website was taken offline during the UB crisis. It was brought back online only last week, but stripped of all the professional school results for the 2006-2007 academic year (was this a technical problem or a political decision???).
Fortunately, due to an obvious oversight, the site still has the admissions results for the École Polytechnique (School of Engineering), which is Cameroon's most prestigious scientific and technical institution of higher learning (modeled after the French Polytechnique and not to be confused with the far less prestigious polytechnic in the Anglo-Saxon system).
Communiqué N° 06/0182/MINESUP/DDES/PEEX of 11 August 2006 signed by Fame Ndongo "To admit candidates into the first year of the School of Engineering (ENSP) of the University of Yaoundé I, for the 2006/2007 academic year" states that:
"The following candidates ranked in order of merit are definitively admitted into the first year of the School of Engineering of the University of Yaoundé I for the 2006/2007academic year, subject to the presentation of the originals of the required certificates."
Note that admission into this institution is by "order of merit" with no reference to "sociological balance" as was the case with admission into the UB medical school. Also, a cursory glance at the list of 100 admitted students shows that the regional balance so stridently demanded in Buea has been largely ignored. To confirm this point, those who are well versed in the ethnic origins of Cameroonian names can take a stab at establishing the ethno-regional breakdown of first-year students in Polytech
(Click here for an attachment of the polytechnique results in PDF format).
While some might be argue that the polytech case alone does not prove a pattern, it nonetheless confirms that the “regional balance” demands that were at the center of the discord in Buea are not universally applied across the board.
It is said in some quarters that the ruling elite is not interested in insitutions such a polytech where you cannot survive “without brains” and whose graduates generally end up in unglamourous – technical/scientific jobs that offer little or no access to state rents and prebends [use of public office for private enrichment]. The political elite is are more interested in sending their progeny to "lucrative" schools such as the Police academy or the school of administration and magistracy (CENAM) which trains high-ranking administrators, treasury inspectors, etc., who have direct access to budgets and quickly become key players in the prebendal system.
A Legitimate Debate
Without doubt, the regional balance debate is a legitimate one in a multi-ethnic and bilingual country such as Cameroon. In principle, regional balance, like affirmative action in the US, is one which makes lots of sense in a country where history and geography have created regions that are lagging behind others, and where colonialism and post-colonial politics also created favored and disfavored ethnic groups.
However, if regional balance is to truly become the cornerstone of Government policy (be it in admissions into state-owned institutions of learning, in appointments to high-level positions in government, or in the creation of road infrastructure and social amenities), then is should operate within a framework which is transparent, objective, accountable and public.
And to avoid situations such as that which happened in the University of Buea, “regional balance”, if it must be applied in higher education, MUST operate under guidelines that are publicized before competitive exams and not during or after.
Regional balance is too emotional, too divisive and too explosive an issue to be left to the whims and caprices of politicians and bureaucrats with hidden agendas who discard the policy when it suits them. For regional balance to succeed, clear laws must be adopted to govern its implementation. Until that happens (please don’t hold your breath…) regional balance will continue to be seen (and rightly so) as a tool to promote mediocrity and ethnic dominance at the expense of excellence and the masses.
mr dibussi, please stop giveing these
low life tugs legitimacy, by using words like, sociological , balance, affirmatiive actions, etc, these are groom illetrate. bandits called ministers, we all unerstand what fame meant by his regional balance, first time for that matter to hear that. he mean, ( the school is in english southern cameroons, and, just as usual he is the boss, he decides who gets
admitted. competent or not,
THATS NOT NEW, IT ONLY AFFIRMS THEIR FRENCH-AFRICAN COLONIAL CORRUPT, DISFUNCTIONAL. MURDEOUS, SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT,
SOO, PLEASE BE DIRECT, NEXT TIME CALL A SPADE A SPADE, THATS THE WAY JOURNALIST WRITE IN AMERICA.
Posted by: PAOLO LAURENT | January 14, 2007 at 10:07 PM
Great essay, Mr Dibussi. Wasted words, though to la Republique. Southern Cameroonians should drink deeply of your wise words and use them in the erection of a NEW SOUTHERN CAMEROONS.
Posted by: Ma Mary | January 15, 2007 at 12:04 AM
Hello Ma Mary,
You wrote:"Cameroonians should drink deeply of your wise words and use them in the erection of a NEW SOUTHERN CAMEROONS."
That is exactly the point I was trying to make in the posting about the new criminal procedure code, which led to an onslaught from SJ and co; the discussions that are ongoing now in LA Republique - tribalism, corruption, regional balance, federalism, decentralization, rule of law, criminal procedure, ethnic favoritism, etc., - may not mean much to those who are determined to exit the union that never was. However, it is in their best interest listen carefully to the basic tenets of these discussions because when SC becomes a state, it WILL face each and everyone of these problems. And if folks don't start thinking seriously about these issues now, then choas, acrimony, bitterness will follow.
Some people would rather see this blog become a SC blog rather than a Cameroonian blog. That would be our collective loss and I hope Mr. Dibussi stays on course.
Posted by: Tesa | January 15, 2007 at 12:36 PM
Tande,
What happened to the article on the assasination of Dr. Moumie by the French colonial gov't and the attempts of the Biya regime to erase his legacy? Did you get a visit from the BMM or some politician advised you to take it down?
That is why I keep saying that Cameroon as we know it will NEVER change. We are too ashamed (or afraid) to carry out a thorough instrospection into our national pysche (that is if we have any to begin with) Tande, I thought your blog was here to help us face up to the realities of our fatherland but I am beginning to have my doubts. This nonsense about regional balance is just confirmation that I may be onto something here. Cameroon needs a meritocracy not institutionalized tribalism to develop. What would you rather have, a good doctor or mediocre one from your ethnic group? This regional balance talk is just a euphemism for tribalism and corruption.
Posted by: Kwensi | January 16, 2007 at 06:24 PM
Tande,
I just realized that the video link to the article I mentioned above was blocked because it was deemed to be contravening some broadcasting regulation. Please accept my apology for my rather hasty below-the-belt comments.
Posted by: Kwensi | January 16, 2007 at 06:30 PM
Hi Kwensi,
Apology accepted. FYI, I have reinstated the posting in question with an explanation why the video is no longer available online
Posted by: Dibussi | January 16, 2007 at 07:17 PM
Any ideas how someone could purchase the video? I was one of the lucky ones who watched and regret that I did not download it to my drive.
Posted by: Ma Mary | January 17, 2007 at 10:04 AM
tesa
OFCOURSE, WHAT DO YOU WANT THIS BLOG TO BECAME?
A CAMEROUNESE BLOG? CAN CAMEROUNESE PUT
A HONEST , FACTUAL , UNIVERSAL ARGUEMENT?
NO, THEY CANT, AND THEY NEVER WILL IN 1 MILLION YEARS, THATS THEIR HEMISPHERE IS FRAUD, CORUUPTION, RAPE, AND MURDER.
NOTHING ELSE, ITS ONLY NATURAL THAT DECIENCY DOESNT BLEND WILL, INDECIENCY.
SOO, IF YOU ARE ONE OF THEM I BET YOU TO EXIT THIS BLOG. ALREADY YOUR POSTING ARE VOID OF FACTS OR HONESTY, JUST SOUND LIKE A DRUNK WHO IS WRITING TO ILLETRATES.
YOU EVEN HAVE THE GUTS TO SAY WHEN SC BECAME INDEPENDENT, BLA BLA BLA.
FOR YOUR INFO, SOUTHERN CAMEROONS, HAD BEEN INDEPENDENT ALREADY, IN OCTOBER 1, 1961, THE SAME YEAR, THE FROG POST CLERK AND FONCHA, STARTED DEBATING ABOUT FORMING A UNION. ONLY TO HAVE THE POST CLERK PRESIDENT DECLARE ( FEDERATION BY HIMSELF THE NEXT DAY)
S CAMEROONS HAD A GOVERNMENT, TWO PRESIDENTS(HEAD OF GOVERNMENT) AND NEVER WILL S CAMEROONS FACE THE SAME PROBLEMS , BECAUSE OUR WORLD-ANGLOSAXON SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE IS NOT ONLY DIFFERENT BU SUPERIOR AND MORE REPRESENTATIVE AND EQUITABLE, THAN THIS SLAVE/MASTER ROTTEN SYSTEM FEEDING/BRAINWASHING OUR CHILDREN. INFACT ITS HIGH TIME, EACH MAN SUM UP HIS LIFE, AND ASK HIMSELF , WHATS MORE IMPORTANT IN IT, IF NOT HIMSELF AND HIS LAND TO RULE OVER?
FOR SUCH, FIGHTING TO DRIVE-OFF OCCUPIERS IS ONLY A NATURAL SELF DEFENCE
MY FREIND, THATS HOW IT HAPPENS ALL OVER THE WORLD, IF SCNC DOESNT SUCCEED IN SECURING INDEPENDENCE FOR MY COUNTRY SOON(SOUTHERN CAMEROONS) THEN I MUST SACRIFICE ALL MY RESOURCE TO WAGE A NUCLEAR WAR AGAIN THESE BANDITS.
Posted by: PAOLO LAURENT | January 17, 2007 at 05:27 PM
REGIONAL BALANCE NOT RESPECTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DOUALA MEDICAL SCHOOL:
According the the Director of Communications at the Ministry of Higher Education, "There were 85 students admitted in the Douala medical school, of whom 9 were Anglophones..."
(1) Asong Micheal (2) Awoudu Christian (3) Azie Paul Chi (4) Ebangha Nkongho Enonchong (5)Egbe Eta Nkongho (6)Etang Agbor Kelvin (7)Nduma Njie Basil (8)Ngum Ewi (9)Nkongnui lnes, plus one on the waiting list Nancy Christel Muke.
According to this fellow (cited by Eden Newspaper), "If you divide 85 by 10 provinces, you realise regional balance in terms of Anglophone representation, was highly respected”.
However, as the newspaper rightly pointS out,
"... regional balance ascribes 20 PERCENT of all places to the North West and South West provinces. By that logic, regional balance would have been seen to have been respected if 17 candidates out of 85 came from the Anglophone provinces. The 9 names the Minister is brandishing represents only 10.4 percent, making it short of regional balance by 9.6 percent.
Analysts point out that the Minister’s claim simply confirms what seems more like an institutionalised policy of looking at the two Anglophone provinces as an ethnic group, rather than two different provinces within a country of 10 separate provinces."
http://www.edennewspaper.com/edition140/famengondo.htm
Posted by: Awudu | January 20, 2007 at 07:21 PM
Hi Mr. Tande,
This regional balance issue is really hot and timely. It is not a one time issue and it would be coming up every year since these entrance exams are yearly. I think what we Cameroonians can do is request for the regional balance text and have a debate on it. If not we would be crying foul to no avail every year. Some questions which we should be asking include, Is this regional balance issue based on Province of Origin, Linguistic background, Place of birth, Origin of PArents etc etc? There should be a minimum entry requirement before the regional balance issue can be considered. Does it appply only to entrance to our nmedical schools? What about other areas in public affairs? We should carve this out as a pressure point and get answers. The list is long. Please lets have a debate or ask for the right questions and try to get the right answers and put this issue straight. Once initiated by the Government we should not allow it be taken away.
Posted by: Eugene Ateh | January 22, 2007 at 07:24 AM
Good luck, Mr Ateh.
Posted by: MaMary | January 22, 2007 at 03:12 PM
Mr Ateh and others
Don't be misled. Fame Ndongo's obnoxios and tribalistic "équilibre regionale" is unacceptable an he's simply trying to play smart here with this Douala entrance. Get the facts right! The aforementioned students were in the list of "les admissible" as the french put it
That's to say all these anglophones students merited their successes and not being jolted in to maintain "équilibre regionale" as was the case in Buea.
Secondly out of the list of those added ,take a look at those from South Province with a population not up to Bamenda town and Kumbo combined. Was that still "équilibre regionale"? Maybe "équilibre Sousregionale"!
And dont be surprised , a trusted informat from Cameroon told me the list presented by Fame Ndongo above consists of those who were admitted into the orals, and that finally only two were admitted into the school.
I'll check this out to confirm to this forum that this was nothing short of ethno-political machinery that has held this nation hostage for decades.
Tayong
Posted by: Tayong | January 26, 2007 at 08:50 AM
Tesa, you are intellectually dishonest. You intentionally misquoted Ma Mary. Don't you think there is a difference between: "Southern Cameroonians should drink deeply........" and "Cameroonians should drink deeply........"?
You should know that there is a difference between "The Republic of Cameroon" and "The Southern Cameroons".
Agbor
Posted by: Arrey Agbor | January 26, 2007 at 06:52 PM
Hi Mr.Tande,i personally believe you're doing a great job out here,firstly by giving us the opportunity to ponder on happenings back home.It's rather sad that many people are just interested in inseminating hatred and bar debates instead of giving constructive ideas to come out of our chronic situations back home.This shows clearly that even if we are given the chance to govern or direct some institution at home,we might even be worse than the chronic disease we've had allthrough.
Coming back to "UNIBU",i believe it should have it's autonomy like any other big institution.It's so ridiculous that it's the ministry that determines entrance into whatever University.(same case with what happens with our national teams-ministers Vs Fecafoot).
If we wish to consider regional balance,it should be regional balance i.e taking into consideration each of the 10 provinces equally,by merit and rights.The rest is the same old story whereby the anglophone part is always the guinea pig.
Greetings to all from Italy!
Posted by: felix ntube | October 23, 2007 at 05:48 PM
Hi Sir,
It is wonderful information you are dishing out to Cameroonians. Infact it is time for us to sit up and take the bull by the horn for things to change in our country rather than pionting acusing fingers on our brothers as being traitors.
We should also continue to pray for the country that nothing should happen in the name of fighting as it is happening in Kenya now.
Courage brother.
God Bless.
Posted by: NN Junior | January 12, 2008 at 06:02 AM
I think regional balance should be highly respected in all the entrance examinations into any state owned university or polytechnic, and a nation like cameroon seeking for development and to achieve the "greater achievement" plan of the head of state should have not lessthan 10 polytechnics.look at countries like south korea, singapor,hong kong taiwan ect. lets copy thier examples
Posted by: AKOSON NKENJANG JOSEPH | September 15, 2009 at 06:20 AM
Why 39 northweeterners for only 21 southwesterners?
Posted by: ngwangu | July 12, 2010 at 11:23 PM