The Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC) has initiated an administrative audit that could lead to the dismissal of over 3,000 teachers. These teachers are required to justify their administrative status after being identified as absent from the national territory.
A radio broadcast statement from February 23, 2026 (N°00696/MINESEC/SG/DRH/SDDRH/SFS), signed by Minister Nalova Lyonga, instructs the personnel concerned to urgently report to the ministry. The reason given is their presence abroad, detected during a data collection operation at the country's airports by the Ministry of Finance. This data revealed that these MINESEC personnel had left Cameroon without clarifying their administrative status.
The teachers concerned have fourteen days from the date of publication of the statement to report to office 507 bis of MINESEC. They must bring all supporting documents attesting to their current administrative status. The ministry specified that if they fail to regularize their situation within the allotted time, the personnel concerned will be removed from the state payroll.
This measure comes in a context of reinforced control of personnel numbers and the wage bill within the Cameroonian civil service. The Cameroonian government is striving to control salary costs and ensure that only active and compliant employees receive remuneration. Similar initiatives have been undertaken in the past, notably in 2023, when over 1,500 teachers were called upon to justify their absence.
Teacher absenteeism is a recurring problem in Cameroon, disrupting curriculum coverage and affecting the quality of education. Minister Nalova Lyonga had even accused some school principals of protecting absent teachers. In 2024, the government even considered blocking teachers from leaving the country, a measure that sparked opposition from the Bar Association. Since 2018, more than 4,500 state employees have been removed as part of Operation Coppe, which aims to clean up the civil service payroll.
