The Teacher and the Universal Basic Education in Cameroon, Constraints and the Way Forward

The Universal Basic Education in Cameroon is aimed at, inter-alia, acquisition of the ethical, moral and civic values needed for laying of a solid foundation for lifelong learning. The school is a vital social institution that promotes occupational socialization and transmission of culture among learners. Teachers are the facilitators in this process. The thrust of this paper is to explore the faceted role of teachers in child upbringing, highlight the many problems they face in Cameroon while executing their onerous tasks and then advise on the way forward. Teachers are instructors, socialization agents, curriculum planners and leaders. They are constantly facing professional challenges of deciding what the students should learn and what schools should teach yet they; the paper points out have a very low social status in Cameroon, are subjected to horrible working conditions, poor incentives which climax in self condemnation. The paper then recommends that “The Teacher characteristics Study” be conducted regularly, a code of conduct be put in place for teachers adequate motivation be given and facilities for effective teaching and learning be put in place in Cameroonian schools ensuring the success of UBE. Keywords: curriculum planners, code of conduct facilities and motivation and constraint