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Study and find schools in Cameroon

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Cities to study in Cameroon

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Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country located in the western portion of Central Africa, with a total land area of nearly 184,000 square miles.  It is bordered to the west by Nigeria, to the northeast by Chad to the east by the Central African Republic and to the south by Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo.  The country also has miles of coastline on the Bight of Bonny, a component of both the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.  The capital of Cameroon is Yaoundé, but its largest city by population and true economic center is Douala.
 
Cameroon has a population of just over 19 million and has earned the nickname of “Africa in Miniature” for its geographical, cultural and linguistic diversity.  While spending time in the country, one can experience beaches, mountains, deserts, rainforests and savannas, including Mount Cameroon, the country’s highest point.  Although the official languages of the country are French and English, Cambodia is home to more than 200 different linguistic groups.  Early inhabitants included the Sao civilization, and although Portuguese explorers landed in the country in the 15th century, it was the Germans that claimed it as a colony in 1884, which it would remain until 1961.  The predominant religion in Cameroon is Christianity (Roman Catholicism, Anglican, etc.), and is practiced by nearly 70 percent of the population, with followers of the Islamic doctrine accounting for a significant religious minority.
 
Education in Cameroon
 
The educational system in Cameroon is overseen by the national government, and the literacy rate for the population is 68 percent—77 percent for males and 60 percent for women.  This discrepancy between the two genders stems from inequitable access to the educational system for females, primarily due to cultural attitudes regarding the role of women in African society and families.
 
The Cameroon system of education is carried out at primary schools, secondary schools and institutions of higher learning, and features a combination of elements from the educational systems of France and England, including the educational structure and the primary language of instruction (about 75 percent of schools use the French language and the remainder offer instruction in English).  School is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 14—the years that comprise a student’s primary education.  Following primary school there is a significant dropout rate, particularly among females.  Attendance rates at Cameroon’s primary schools are among the best in Africa, and while there is no tuition required at either the primary or secondary school level, families are required to purchase school uniforms and pay for book fees.
 
In terms of higher education, Cameroon offers a fairly comprehensive curriculum at hundreds of junior academic institutions, but institutions of higher learning are not very prevalent—institutions that include the handful of universities in the country.  In recent years technology education has become a priority and major focus of the Cameroon government, which is why the country now boasts several technical post-secondary schools in addition to its existing vocational academies, the latter of which trains students in various careers and prepares them to enter the workforce in occupational fields relevant to the Cameroon economy.