Pressure on government secures more jobs for PhD holders

The government of Cameroon has averted a planned protest on 20 February by unemployed PhD holders following an announcement that 150 additional lecturers’ posts will be created and allocated to the three state universities of Bertoua, Ebolowa and Garoua for the 2025 academic year.

The recruitment of the group will be in addition to 150 positions that have already become available this year, bringing the total number of available new academic positions to 300 and creating more job opportunities in the higher education sector for unemployed PhD holders.

The announcement of the government of Cameroon of another group of 150 lecturers in the state universities of Bertoua, Ebolowa and Garoua for the 2025 academic year was in response to grievances expressed by a group of about 80 PhD holders whose names did not feature on an employment selection list published earlier in February.

In his response, the Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, said in a media release on 14 February that additional PhD holders would be recruited.

Jacques Fame Ndongo, the minister of higher education, in an address on state radio, elaborated: “In his address to the youths on 11 February 2025 to commemorate the 59th national Youth Day celebration, President Paul Biya promised to listen and work hand in glove with the youths. In keeping with this promise, he instructed the opening of more teaching places in state universities to accommodate the aggrieved PhD holders.”

Why the discontent?

Following a statement in which the results of the second phase of the special recruitment operation for assistant lecturers, mainly PhD holders, in the state universities of Bertoua, Ebolowa and Garoua was announced, those who were not selected wrote a letter of protest to the government with plans to march in the capital, Yaoundé, to demand their recruitment.

Grouped under the ‘Collective of Unemployed Doctors/PhD holders of Cameroon’, their letter declared their intention to stage a peaceful march to call on the minister of higher education and the prime minister to employ them and put an end to injustice in the recruitment of lecturers in state universities.

Dr Walters Chuo, the head of the group, told news media on 12 February that they had taken note of the published list of selected lecturers and had noted inconsistencies, which they were dissatisfied with.

“The selection exercise was marred with manoeuvres of favouritism, injustice and the ‘flouting’ of merit,” he said.

In their protest letter, the group said the choice of civil servants by the selection committee (those already in the public service in different categories) to the detriment of the unemployed, was against the instructions of Biya to recruit exclusively unemployed PhD holders.

They also expressed indignation about the priority recruitment of new PhD holders, who obtained their degrees during the past few months, while those who have been working as part-time university lecturers for up to five years have waited in vain for selection.

“Their peaceful march was tabled at the administrative head of Mfoundi division in Yaoundé, in accordance with Article 6 of law number 90/055 of December 19, 1990 which requires that all “public demonstrations are subject to prior declaration seven (07) days in advance”, they said.

Creation of more posts welcomed

Reacting to the government’s announcement of the additional recruitment of 150 lecturers, Chuo said they were hopeful their grievances will be taken into consideration.

“We are glad the head of state has listened to our plea and hope to see all our disgruntled colleagues, without exception, finally recruited. We will keep denouncing any form of discrimination in the university milieu. Our universities and higher education, in general, has to teach by example,” Chuo told University World News.

In another news report, Chuo also denounced the “discrimination against English-speaking PhD holders, one of the elements that triggered the ongoing anglophone crisis in the country since 2016”.

Staff shortages

In 2024, University World News reported an acute shortage of teaching staff in virtually all the 11 state universities in the country amid a surging student population. The news report quoted state authorities saying the government was trying to address the staff shortage.

Both the government statements issued earlier this month (February) said recruitment for the 2025 academic year involves PhD holders to fill positions of lecturers, senior lecturers, associate professors and professors, both in the country and the diaspora.

According to the statements, the 150 new teaching positions already selected, and the additional 150 that were now open for applicants, will be distributed among the three universities, allocating 45 positions to each, with the remaining 15 positions being earmarked for academic regulatory positions in both cases.

“For the 2025 academic year alone, we will have recruited 300 additional university staff members. This is quite an effort made by the state to meet up with the growing demand to employ young people, in particular PhD holders in different disciplines in the country,” Professor Wilfred Gabsa, the secretary general in the ministry of higher education, told University World News.

Séraphin Magloire Fouda, the secretary general in the prime minister’s office, said in statements that eligible applicants included Cameroonian nationals under the age of 45, residing either in the country or abroad.

Under the supervision of the minister of higher education, the rectors of each of the universities that will be prioritised in the allocation of staff are expected to launch the recruitment exercise through a call for applications in the various disciplines, after the approval of the technical committee and the final decision of the central supervisory commission.

Academic experts welcomed the development to employ more PhD holders. “The recruitment of young researchers, lecturers in our universities is quite strategic, providing the opportunity to replace those who have aged, bringing in new dynamism in research and innovation, especially with the changing technology and the quest for development,” Dr Christopher Nsoh Ndikum of the University of Yaoundé 2, Soa told University World News.

“The announced recruitment is a welcome relief [as it would allow] universities to bridge the [shortage of] teaching staff, Nsoh said.