I am a learning facilitator in Nagaoundere in the region of Adamaoua in Cameroon, I would like to broach the topic of the school drop-out rate, which is on the rise in the country.

Many young people quit school each year, to the complete indifference of parents, opinion leaders, administrative authorities, and of society in general. This tends to trivialize this very serious problem.

School drop-outs have dangerous consequences. The main ones being juvenile delinquency; prostitution, teen pregnancies, STIs and AIDS; alcoholism, drug use and burglary...

In the future, these young people could undermine our safety. Therefore, we have to act quickly.

To this end:

• All parents should monitor their child's education.
• Opinion leaders should sensitize the population to the need to keep children in school.
• The government has to develop and implement strategies to:
  • Facilitate the access and retention in school
  • Adapt education to the needs of the students
  • Support vocational schools
  • Re-integrate students who have already quit school

Taking into account all that has been said here, from now on we all have to contribute to the fight to keep young people in school.

This English translation has been possible thanks to the PerMondo project: Free translation of website and documents for non-profit organisations. A project managed by Mondo Agit. English translator: David Turner. Proofreader: Jaïdat Ali Djae.