Biya regime orders 3,442 teachers to prove status or face payroll removal ⁰

Secondary Education Minister Nalova Lyonga on February 23 published a list of 3,442 teachers ordered to report to “door 507 bis” of her ministry within fourteen days. Those concerned must present “supporting documents confirming their current administrative status, failing which they will be simply and outright removed from the state payroll,” she said.

The summons follows a data collection exercise conducted by the Ministry of Finance through Cameroon’s airports. An analysis of travel records showed that the officials had traveled outside Cameroon in recent years. According to sources familiar with the matter, the objective is now to verify that they have returned to the country and are effectively present at their assigned posts.

Emigration to Canada in the Background

The operation comes amid continued emigration, particularly to Canada. In recent years, many Cameroonian teachers have left their posts to seek better opportunities abroad while continuing to receive salaries in Cameroon. For the state, the issue is also fiscal: such situations create budgetary losses and weaken the continuity of public education services.

Removing teachers who have emigrated to Canada or other countries from the payroll is part of the broader Physical Headcount of State Personnel (Coppe). Launched in 2018, the initiative aims to eliminate public employees who are illegally listed on the state payroll.

According to the Ministry of Finance, Coppe has already led to the removal of 10,000 fictitious public employees from the payroll, generating annual budget savings of about CFA30 billion since 2019. On November 27, 2025, at the National Assembly, Public Service Minister Joseph Lé also announced that, under the same operation, around 6,000 civil servants had been dismissed from the public service following disciplinary proceedings.

Source: Business in Cameroon