The Minister of Secondary Education, Louis Bapes Bapes, held a meeting in the conference room of the Ministry of Secondary Education between 7 and 8 July 2010 to emphasis on the need to professionalise technical and vocational education in Cameroon. 

The Minister said at the opening session of the meeting that the project that falls in line with the vision of the Head of State was not only necessary but imperative. The meeting brought together members of the ministerial committee for the development of a juridical framework in the production unit of the different technical and vocational schools.

The aim of the meeting, according to the minister, was to put in place a regulatory framework for the setting up of a production unit, the commercialisation of production as well as the management of production and practical work of students in technical, secondary and vocational schools.

Talking to the press after the meeting, Emmanuel Ndiforngwa, Sub Director of Technical Education, said the project has been tailored to fall in line with the organisation and functioning of incubators and micro-enterprises. He pointed out that although the regulatory framework has seemingly been slow because of the absence of a policy development unit in technical and vocational schools, the project was going to succeed.

Accordingly, he suggested that for technical and vocational training to   become professionalised, a regularised text should be established and partnership be developed between these schools and related enterprises and a follow up and management unit be created.

Explaining what   professionalisation of technical education was all about, the minister said the purpose for technical education is to develop creativity among the youth to enable them be self-employed or join major enterprises.  “In technical schools, children should be trained to have jobs in the industries or create their own micro-enterprises after training. These institutions should be a place where products are being commercialised in the country and abroad to bring more revenue,” the minister emphasised.