In Bandjoun, in the Koung-Khi department, residents and natives of the Nkouo neighbourhood are not relying solely on the state budget to save their school. Meeting at a community congress on 15 August 2026, they decided to fund the school's rehabilitation themselves, just weeks before the school year starts on 7 September.
École catholique Nkouo, run under the Catholic Education Secretariat (Seca) of the Diocese of Bafoussam, was in an advanced state of disrepair that threatened schooling for several hundred pupils in the 2026-2027 academic year.
Financial contributions from local residents and natives of the area are meant to fund the repair of the buildings before classes begin, under Seca's supervision. The urgency left little room to manoeuvre: without swift action, some pupils would have had to start the year in unusable classrooms.
This kind of mobilisation is not unique to this school. Across Cameroon, many rural or peri-urban schools remain without decent infrastructure for lack of sufficient public funding, and dioceses or community development associations step in, case by case, to fill the gaps left by the education budget.
The Nkouo case also highlights a persistent gap between urban and rural areas in access to properly maintained classrooms — a factor that directly affects the quality of education provided.
The rehabilitation is due to be completed before 7 September, the start of the 2026-2027 school year across Cameroon. Pupils and teachers at Nkouo will then be able to resume classes in upgraded premises, funded by their own community's solidarity.
