PROFESSIONALIZATION FOR GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY IN CAMEROON HIGHER EDUCATION: OLD WINE IN NEW WINESKINS?
Keywords:
Cameroon, graduate employability, higher education, professionalization, reformAbstract
One issue to which higher education (HE) is increasingly expected to respond is graduate employability. In addition to its traditional missions, Cameroon HE is expected to pursue priority objectives. At independence, Cameroon HE was to train indigenes to replace expatriates in the state administration. However, the saturation of the state machinery obliged reforms and modified objectives. In a study including interviewees from the ministry of higher education and one state university, ‘professionalization for employability’ was identified as one of such objectives. The respondents were chosen on the basis of relevance to the topic, availability and willingness to respond. We discuss the origins and rationale of professionalization at independence and after the 1993 reforms. A peculiarity of professionalization is its articulation as a new ‘objective’ in universities. Using the Newmanian and the Market-Model perspectives, we argue that the novelty is in the attention, type of stakeholders and approaches and not in professionalization itself. It was noticed that some academics do not agree that universities should be concerned with employability of graduates. This is due to the belief in education for its own sake without utilitarian motives as well as uncertainty about the capacity of the national labour market. Even though the efforts have addressed both the supply and demand side of the products of HE, the supply side is insufficiently addressed. We conclude that professionalization; in the way it is currently being addressed cannot enhance graduate employment and relevance of university education to the job market as intended.Downloads
References
Becker, G. (1994). Human Capital: A theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with special reference to Education (3rd Edition.). New York: Columbia University Press.
Blaug, M. (1965). Rate of return on investment in education in Great Britain. Manchester School, 33 (3), 205-51.
Blaug, M. (1987). The economics of education and the education of an economist. Aldershot: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Clark, B. (1983). Creating entrepreneurial universities: Pathways to transformation. London: Oryx Press.
Buea University Newsletter, BUN. (2008). BMP at the University of Buea: One Year Later. Limbe: Presprint Plc., 11 (3).
Decree No. 93/026 of 19th January 1993 creating state universities in Cameroon.
Decree No. 93/027 of 19th January 1993 providing common guidelines on the operations of the State Universities in Cameroon.
Decree No. 93/034 of 19th January 1993 organizing the University of Buea.
Decree of 27th November 1992 creating the Cameroon Ministry of Higher Education.
Decree N° 92/074 of 13th April 1992 to transform the Buea and Ngoundere Centres into Universities.
De la Harpe, B, Radloff, A., Wyber, J. (2000). Quality and generic (professional) skills. Quality in Higher Education, 6 (3), 231-243.
Doh, P. (2012). The Responses of the Higher Education Sector in the Poverty Reduction Strategies in Africa: the Case of Cameroon. Doctoral Dissertation, Acta Universitatis Tamperensis 1755, Tampere University Press, Tampere.
Cameroon Prime Ministry (2011). Celebration of the 45th Edition of the National Youth Day: Head Of State’s Message. Retrieved from http://www.spm.gov. cm/en/documentation/speeches/president-of-the-republic-speeches.html
Cloete, N., Maassen, P. (2002). “Global reform trends in higher Education”. In Transformation in higher education, global pressures and local realities in South Africa, edited by Cloete Nico. Retrieved from at www.chet.org.za
Engell, J., Dangerfield, A. (1998). The market-model university: Humanities in the age of money. Harvard Magazine, 3, 48-55.
ESSP (2006) La stratеgie sectorielle de l’еducation (Education Sector Strategic Plan). Retrieved from http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/ Cameroon/Cameroon_sectorstrategy.pdf
Geiger, R. (2004). Knowledge and money: Research universities and the paradox of the marketplace. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
GESP. Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP) for 2010-2020. (2009). Cameroon: Government of Cameroon.
Gumport, P. (2002). Universities and knowledge: Restructuring the city of intellect. In The future of the city of intellect: The changing American university, edited by Steven Brint. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Hartog, J. (2000). Over-education and earnings: where are we, where should we go? Economics of Education Review, 19, 131-147.
Hillage, J., Pollard, E. (1998). Employability: developing a framework for policy analysis. Research Brief 85, Department for Education and Employment.
Kirp, D. (2003). Shakespeare, Einstein, and the bottom line: The marketing of higher education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Kivinen, O., Nurmi, J. (2014). Labour market relevance of European university education. From enrolment to professional employment in 12 countries. European Journal of Education, 49 (4), 558-574.
Knight, P. (2001). Employability and assessment. Skills plus – a paper prepared for the fourth colloquium.
Knight, P., Yorke, M. (2000). Skills plus: Tuning the Undergraduate Curriculum. Skills Plus Project Report.
Konings, P. (2002). University students’ revolt, ethnic militia, and violence during political liberalization in Cameroon. African Studies Review, 45 (2), 179-204.
Law No. 005 of 16 April 2001 on the Orientation of Higher Education Retrieved from http://www.spm.gov.cm/fr/documentation/textes-legislatifset-reglementaires/article/loi-n-005-du-16-avril-2001-portant-orientation-delenseignement-superieur.html
Law No. 2005/342 of 10 September to 2005 modify and complete certain dispositions of Decree No. 93/027 of 19 January 1993 to define common conditions for the operation of Universities in Cameroon.
Leroux, J.-Y. (2014). The professionalization of degree courses in France: New issues in an old debate, Higher Education Management and Policy, 24(3), 87-105.
Marginson, S., Considine, M. (2000). The enterprise university: power, governance, and reinvention. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Mbembe, A. (1985). Les Jeunes et l’ordre politique en Afrique noire. Paris: L’Harmattan.
MINESUP. Partnership Charter between University and the Industry. (2010). MINESUP: Yaoundе.
MINESUP (2010) Sectoral Policy Document (For Higher Education) in Cameroon. Unpublished. Obtained in January 2012.
Ndongko, T., Tambo, L. (2000). Educational Development in Cameroon, 1961-1999: Issues and Perspectives. Platteville: Nkemnji Global Tech.
Neave, G. (2002). The stakeholder perspective historically explored. Higher education in a globalising world. International trends and mutual observation. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Ngwana, T. (2001). The implementation of the 1993 higher education reforms in Cameroon: Issues and Promises IN: Higher Education Policy: Institutions and globalisation. New dynamics in South Africa after 1994. Centre for Higher Education Transformation. South Africa. Retrieved from http://www.chet.org.za
Njeuma, D., Endeley, H., Mbuntum, F., Lyonga, N., Nkweteyim, D., Musenja, S., Ekanje, E. (1999). Reforming a national system of higher education: the case of Cameroon. Washington: ADEA-WGHE. Retrieved from http://www. adeanet.org/pubadea/publications/pdf/he_cameroon_en.pdf
Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon (2015) Head of State’s Message to the Youth on the Occasion Of the 49th Edition of the National Youth Day. Retrieved from https://www.prc.cm/en/news/1155-head-of-state-s-message-on-theoccasion-of-the-49th-edition-of-the-national-youth-day
Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon (2014) Head of State’s Message to the Youth on the Occasion Of the 48th Edition of the National Youth Day. Retrieved from https://www.prc.cm/en/multimedia/ documents/1174-head-of-state-message-to-the-youth-10-02-2014
Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon (2012) President Paul BIYA urges youths to work for economic emergence. Retrieved from https://www.prc.cm/en/ news/speeches-of-the-president/14-president-paul-biya-urges-youths-to-work-foreconomic-emergence
Reinert, E. (2007). How rich countries got rich and why poor countries stay poor. New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers.
Renaut, A. (1995). Les rеvolutions de l’universitе: Essai sur la modernisation de la culture. Paris: Calmann-Lеvy.
Robbins, L. (1963). Higher Education. (Report of the Committee under the Chairmanship of Lord Robbins). Cmnd 2154 HMSO.
Samfoga, D. (2015). Evaluating the strategic objectives of Cameroonian higher education: An application of the balanced scorecard (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). Turku: University of Turku.
Schultz, T. (1961). Investment in human capital. American Economic Review, 51, 1-17.
Sup Infos (2011). Sup Infos: Edition Special 1961-2011. Les 50Ans de L’universitе Camerounaise, Yaoundе: MINESUP.
Sup Infos (2011) Bilingual Monthly Review of the Ministry of Higher Education. Yaoundе: MINESUP, 19.
Symes, C., McIntyre, J. (2000). Working knowledge: the new vocationalism and higher education. Philadelphia, Pa: Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University.
Tambo, L. (2003). Cameroon National Education Policy since the 1995 Forum. Limbe: Design House.
Up Station Mountain Club (2007). Youth Day Message by President Paul Biya. Retrieved from http://www.postnewsline.com/2007/02/youth_day_messa.html
Yorke, M. (2001). Employability in the first cycle higher education. A working paper for the “Skills Plus” Project. Liverpool, John Moores U.
