The governor of the region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, revealed the figure at the end of a visit to some schools in his jurisdiction.
On the first day of the 2026/2027 school year in the South-West region, one of the two regions in the anglophone crisis zone, the governor of the region reports on the actual start of the school year. According to the head of the administrative region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, the school year has effectively started in his region. A visit to public and faith-based schools in urban and semi-urban areas shows that some classes “are packed with students” in certain places.
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At the secondary level, 7,873 students were present on Monday, compared to 7,025 at the start of the 2025 school year, representing an increase of 10 to 12% in enrollment. In basic education, 3,000 students effectively resumed classes on September 7 in the region, the governor said in an interview broadcast on the public radio channel Crtv this Tuesday morning.
This student attendance rate in the region is the result of the mobilization of the entire educational community. Before the start of the school year, members of this community held multiple preparatory meetings attended by administrative authorities, teachers, parents, and municipalities. The priority was that all young Cameroonians in this region receive equal treatment regarding access to education. The goal is that “children in the South-West region have the same privileges, the same levels of knowledge, the same ease of access to school,” said the head of the region.
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In his statement, Bernard Okalia Bilai acknowledges that mobilization in cities like Buea, Limbe, Mamfe is greater than in districts and villages. However, although authorities assure the effective start of the school year, the gap between attendance (12%) and absence (88%) remains huge. Education thus remains a major concern in the South-West and North-West regions. Due to the crisis and abuses committed against schools, students, teachers, and parents, the educational community has experienced significant demobilization.
The separatists’ calls to boycott the school year and to close schools weigh heavily on the socio-educational environment. According to UN figures, about 2,000 schools have been closed and more than 223,000 children have been deprived of learning in these regions. Despite the severity of the situation, local authorities are nevertheless pleased with the progress towards a return to normalcy.
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