The Economics of Education: Evaluation of the Determinants of Primary School Peformance in Cameroon.

Abstract

The educational sector of Cameroon has continuously absorbed a substantial proportion of government’s budgets since independence. For example, between 1975 and 1985 government budgetary allocations to Education rose from FCFA 8,600 million to about FCFA 50,541 million (1 US$ = 300 FCFA) which is an increase of 588 per cent during the decade. According to UNESCO (1984), government budgetary allocation to education in 1975 represented about 22.7% of current government expenditure while that of 1984 was about 23.2%. Coupled with these high budgetary allocations is the increasing demand for education especially at the primary school level, as evidenced by increased enrollments over the years.