Denouncing institutional contempt, union repression, and the massive exodus of teachers, CORE.C launches an operation dubbed “Phoenix” to restore the dignity of the profession and avoid the collapse of the educational system by 2029.
Meeting in ordinary session on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, members of the National Coordination of the Collective of Teachers’ Organizations of Cameroon (CORE.C) drew up a severe assessment of the situation of the Cameroonian educational system. At the end of the proceedings, the collective announced the launch of an initiative dubbed “Operation Phoenix,” presented as a historic surge to “restore the Cameroonian school and the teaching profession.”
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In its press release signed by the general secretary of the coordination, Biswak Etoga Roland, CORE.C claims to “take note of the characterized institutional contempt regarding the future of the Nation.” The collective blames the government for systematically evading its proposals in favor of a revalued status for teachers, a condition deemed essential for improving the quality of education.
Union leaders believe that the momentum initiated after the “so-called constructive dialogue” of March 2025 has not produced the expected effects. According to them, the expected commitments are slow to materialize, while structural difficulties persist in schools.
CORE.C also denounces “the repressive drift crossed last October,” accusing the authorities of equating the exercise of union rights with acts of insurrection. The collective condemns arrests it describes as arbitrary and considers them an attempt to criminalize teacher demands.
These tensions reflect, according to the movement’s leaders, an increasingly tense social climate around educational issues.
Another point of alert: the exodus of teachers. CORE.C mentions “tens of thousands of teachers forced into survival” and compelled to seek better living conditions abroad. This brain drain, described as a “continuous bleeding,” poses a major risk to the stability of the educational system.
The collective puts forward “forensic statistical indicators” suggesting, at the current rate, a “systemic and irreversible” breaking point for public schools by 2029.
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In its analysis, CORE.C rejects what it presents as a “governmental illusion” consisting of compensating for the teacher deficit through increased use of digital education. For the organization, this direction cannot replace human supervision and would be unable to stem the rise of violence and risky behavior in schools.
Faced with what it describes as a “shipwreck of the republican school,” CORE.C announces the launch of “Operation Phoenix.” The precise outlines of this initiative will be “gradually revealed,” but it is intended as a framework for action aimed at restoring the dignity of the teaching profession and strengthening the foundations of the educational system.
The collective issues a solemn appeal to teachers to “break the fatality” and make their unity their “only shield”;
To parents, to defend qualified supervision as a bulwark against violence;
To local elected officials, to alert the top of the State to the economic and security consequences of the talent exodus;
To the government, to seize “this last opportunity for social peace.”
“A school in ruins today is the rebellion factory of tomorrow,” warns the press release, which concludes: “Saving the school is no longer an option, it is a vital requirement.”
This stance marks a new stage in the standoff between teacher organizations and public authorities, in a context where the future of education appears more than ever at the heart of Cameroon’s social and political issues.
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