Cameroon’s Minister of Secondary Education, Pauline Nalova Lyonga, has decreed an end to collection of school fees in cash.
In a recent statement, Minister Nalova Lyonga vowed to “severely punish” any school principal who collects school fees in cash. She cautioned parents and students against paying school fees in cash to principals in government schools or government colleges.
In what she described as fighting corruption, she said parents and students should not allow themselves to be ripped off.
According to her, there are identified partners for the payment of school fees.
Her statements come following the closure of the unique identification platform.
“The platform for obtaining the unique identification number has been closed, thus ending the allocation of registration numbers for the 2024-2025 school year,” minister Nalova said in her communique.
“As payment of school fees is done exclusively by digital means to approved partners, it is therefore forbidden for those in charge of public schools to collect the said fees in cash,” she added.
The unique identification number is a new system that allows students to be recognised in the government system, irrespective of whether they change schools or not.
With the system, parents can now pay fees via mobile money without going to deposit cash in school.
