Process of transfer and reception of Bologna Process ideas in the Cameroon higher education system

Abstract

The Bologna Process (BP), which created the European Higher Education Area, has had a profound impact on educational systems in Europe and beyond, as far as Cameroon. Through thematic analysis of interviews and text documents, this article examines the adoption of BP ideas in Cameroon with a focus on the transfer and local reception to the adoption. This article shows that the adoption in Cameroon is found to continue a process that began with the adoption of the BP at the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) by the CEMAC heads of state, leading to its subsequent imposition on universities in Cameroon. The present findings show that, although imposed on the universities, the adoption of the BP found some support in Cameroon because of its potential to resolve the country’s higher education challenges. However, because of Cameroon’s dual French and Anglo-Saxon education system, some interviewees expressed scepticism about the adopted approaches, primarily because they appeared French driven. The article highlights some of the complexities and tensions associated with introducing a borrowed model to a dual system of education such as that in Cameroon.