French Language education and the Future of Bilingualism in Cameroon: Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Implications

Abstract: This articles outlines the findings from a study on French Language education in the Anglophone regions of the North-West and South-West impacts the future of bilingualism in Cameroon, the challenges if faces, opportunities and policy implications. Cameroon’s policy of bilingual education which accords equal status to English and French was adopted to promote national unity, social cohesion, and equal opportunities for all citizens. Despite Cameroon’s commitment to official bilingualism is meant to be a bedrock of national unity, it seems to be feeling the strain as French language education in the Anglophone secondary sub-system continues to face persistent challenges that undermine the achievement of these national objectives. This study digs into why there is low French enrolment in high schools, declining learner motivation, the effects of the Anglophone crisis, limited exposure to French, affects bilingual competence at the university level and the long term sustainability of bilingualism in Cameroon. Our research sampled 53 students spread across eight different schools. The research adopts a descriptive qualitative approach involving observation, unstructured interviews and questionnaires. Data was collected, analyzed and interpreted to determine how French is taught/learned and highlights opportunities such as curriculum reform, continuous teaching development, greater integration of educational technologies. The findings reveal that there is very little or no motivation as well as low interest on the part of the learners, ineffective teaching methods, insufficient teachers, inadequate resources, the fact that there is no elimination mark at the GCE Ordinary level, and socio-political factors significantly hinder French language acquisition. It is therefore recommended that students should be motivated to learn French, an elimination mark should be implemented at the GCE Ordinary level. These ideas aim to shore up bilingual education and secure Cameroon’s commitment to speaking two languages. The study concludes that these challenges have far-reaching implications for higher education bilingualism and national cohesion.