The Cameroonian government is intensifying its efforts to identify and sanction ghost civil servants, particularly in the education sector. More than 3,400 teachers under the Ministry of Secondary Education (Minesec) are now under investigation, suspected of having abandoned their posts.
A joint operation by the Ministry of Finance and Cameroon Airports (ADC) revealed that these teachers had traveled abroad in recent years. To clarify their situation, the Minister of Secondary Education, Pauline Nalova Lyonga, has ordered those concerned to report by March 9, 2026, to gate 507 of the Minesec building, with supporting documents proving their effective presence in Cameroon. After this deadline, they will be "purely and simply removed from the state payroll", the Minister warned.
This action is part of a broader effort to combat absenteeism and desertion of posts in the Cameroonian civil service. In January 2025, Minesec had already published a list of 1,226 teachers who had deserted their posts, ordering them to justify their absence or face removal. Since 2023, approximately 5,000 teachers have been removed from the payroll for this reason.
Several factors explain this desertion, including recurring tensions between teachers and the government, as well as the search for better living and working conditions abroad, particularly in Canada. This situation highlights the challenges facing the Cameroonian education system, including the shortage of qualified teachers and difficult working conditions. The government is thus seeking to clean up the state payroll while combating brain drain.
Minister Pauline Nalova Lyonga, in office since 2018, has undertaken several initiatives to improve the quality of education in Cameroon, including promoting the use of locally produced textbooks and strengthening cooperation with China in the field of technical and vocational education. It remains to be seen whether these measures will be sufficient to stem the phenomenon of desertion and ensure quality education for all Cameroonian students.
