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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Parents, Private Schools, and the Politics of Emerging Civil Society in Cameroon
Author:Boyle, Patrick M.ISNI
Year:1996
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies
Volume:34
Issue:4
Period:December
Pages:609-622
Language:English
Geographic term:Cameroon
Subjects:political systems
primary education
Politics and Government
Education and Oral Traditions
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/161591
Abstract:This article on the current transformation of education in Cameroon first shows how postcolonial educational developments in Africa link scholarly perspectives on social class to those on civil society. Next it examines three developments in urban education: a fiscal crisis in State-supported education; greater parental involvement in the finance and management of most schools; and the near sudden appearance of private education. One of Yaoundé's four major administrative districts, Yaoundé II, was chosen for three months of fieldwork in 1994 - mainly conversations with the directors and staff of schools in order to obtain a profile of urban education. Profiles of each of the district's 44 primary and preprimary schools were limited to ascertaining enrolments, levels of tuition, sources of funding, and the participation of parents in helping to meet expenses. The findings suggest that the partial retreat of the State from its near exclusive control over education has set in motion a profound transformation of the sector. The example of local elites taking initiatives to secure private education for their children is used to show the simultaneous emergence of civil society and the formation of classes. Notes, ref.
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