Ahead of 2027/28 academic year: National Book Commission begins screening basic education textbooks.

The session to examine 569 books, competing for just 40 spots on the country's official primary school reading lists, opened in Yaounde Monday and will run until Friday, April 24.

In attendance are evaluators, education officials and partners. The session is examining textbooks across the Francophone and Anglophone sub-systems, to determine the official textbook list for the next academic cycle. 

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Basic Education, Dr Oyono Adams Daniel, presided the opening ceremony on behalf of the Minister Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa. 

He described session as a defining moment for the country's educational development. Dr Oyono called on evaluators to bring diligence, commitment, and objectivity to the task, while stressing the importance of producing books of genuine utility to learners.

“We wish to obtain textbooks of high quality capable of helping our children both to understand and explain the world, and to adapt to it. We ask that only books scrupulously aligned to the competence-based approach and at relatively lower costs for parents be included on the proposed textbook list,” Dr Oyono stated.

He warned that the Minister of Basic Education would be watching closely and that any conduct likely to compromise the objectives of the session would attract severe sanctions.

Enter CNAMSMD President

The President of CNAMSMD, Jean Paul Komon, noted that the session marks the start of a new production cycle for textbooks anchored on the competence-based pedagogical approach adopted by the Ministry of Basic Education which is in implementation since the 2017/2018 academic year.

He pointed to three notable shifts since that first cycle. According to him, publisher participation had grown dramatically, from roughly 30 publishers in 2017/2018 including 10 foreign firms to 160 publishers this year, with only four based abroad. 

He said the volume of textbooks submitted had also risen sharply, from about 300 in 2018 to 569 currently under evaluation. Komon further cited improvements in the physical quality and content of submitted materials as a third positive trend.

“This session is special, as it constitutes the launch of a new cycle of textbook production aligned to the competence-based pedagogical approach adopted by the Ministry of Basic Education and implemented since 2017/2018. The session of 2024/2025 which now follows is not only one of confirmation, but of mastery of the approach,” Komon noted.

He further reminded to assess the submitted books independently and objectively not to disqualify rivals or settle scores with known publishers. 

Komon stressed that all books under evaluation had been anonymised, and that no evaluator would assess a textbook alone, with four separate copies of each book being reviewed simultaneously. He warned that any deviation would be reported directly to the minister and sanctions applied without delay.

Evaluators face tight selection process

Speaking to reporters, the Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Prof Marcelin Vounda Etoa, explained that the session aims to prepare a new official list of textbooks for the 2027/2028 school year and beyond.

He revealed that the selection process is highly competitive, with only a small fraction of submissions expected to be approved under the one-textbook-per-subject policy. 

Prof Vounda clarified that textbooks are assessed based on both physical quality and content, using established criteria that have remained unchanged. 

He said measures have also been put in place to ensure transparency. He added that the review cycle follows legal timelines, noting that textbooks are revisited every six years to reflect improvements and evolving educational needs.

On her part, the Vice President of the Commission, Prof Rosalyn Mutia, elaborated on content criteria, with a strong emphasis on the competence-based curriculum introduced in recent reforms. 

She told reporters that textbooks must not only meet academic standards but also support the development of practical skills and values among learners.

“We are looking for books that develop skills relevant to real-life situations. Books must also promote values of citizenship and living together,” Prof Mutia said.

She identified language accuracy as a key requirement, insisting that any textbook containing grammatical errors, scientific accuracy and presentation quality, faces immediate disqualification. 

“We are thinking of the days when we were in school, where you hardly found an error in a textbook. It was impossible and we want to bring back those days where the textbooks allowed into our classrooms would be impeccable in language use,” Prof Mutia stated.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3767 of Tuesday April 21, 2026