Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The Government of Cameroon, with support from UNESCO Central Africa and funding from the Education Cannot Wait Multi-Year Resilience Programme, is implementing the National Policy on Inclusive Education (PNEI) to ensure no learner is left behind.
According to the 5th Cameroonian Household Survey (ECAM 5), about 2,932,576 children, adolescents, and young people aged 4 to 18 years were out of school in the 2020-2021 school year. Preschool exclusion impacts nearly half of five-year-olds, with 419,228 children (47.8%) not enrolled in early learning activities. In primary education, 1,014,644 children (20.4%) aged 6–11 were not enrolled. At lower secondary level, 401,348 adolescents (15.5%), and at upper secondary, 517,751 youths (32.2%) were excluded from school. Many students in school were over-age, a known dropout risk: 9.4% in primary, 15.6% in lower secondary, and 25.6% in upper secondary grades.
In response, a national study on out-of-school children and youth at risk of exclusion was presented at an official ceremony in Yaoundé.
Following this, the city of Kribi hosted a strategic workshop from 15–19 June 2026, bringing together over 60 experts from ministries, civil society organizations, and specialist agencies. The workshop focused on developing a regulatory framework to define criteria and procedures for medical, educational, and social support for persons with special needs in educational and training institutions.