School Funding Policies and Assessment Practices in British Southern Cameroons: Lessons From History

This paper examines the conflicts that arose following the introduction of education rating in 1952 in the North Western Federated Council of Wum Division, British Southern Cameroons, and the subsequent abandonment of the system in 1963 by the West Cameroon state of the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The policy aimed to improve the quality of education from junior to senior primary levels and to produce experts to serve the colonial administration. Despite its intended benefits, the education rating system encountered numerous challenges that ultimately led to its discontinuation eleven years after implementation. Using archival documentation and relevant published works from the colonial and early post-independence periods, the study analyzes the factors contributing to the policy’s failure. Findings suggest that although the initiative was well-intentioned, structural, administrative, and contextual issues undermined its effectiveness, highlighting the complexities of educational reform in colonial and post-colonial settings.