The financing of secondary education in Mezam division, North West province, Cameroon: An uneasy partnership between family and state?

The government of Cameroon like that of many sub-Sharan African countries is faced with dwindling public revenues and cannot provide the required finances for the education sector. Since many other developing countries are facing similar financial constraints, policy options have been proposed for the recovery of costs as a way of revitalizing and improving the quality of education in these countries. The introduction of user charges is one of the more prominent options that applies to all levels of education. In light of the educational financing situation in Cameroon, this study sets out to assess the possibility of implementing this option. It, therefore, seeks to analyse how secondary schools are financed and to measure private direct costs of secondary education so as to determine parental willingness to spend on schooling.