The Staff and Student Movements at UYI
Protests by faculty (teachers, support staff) and students at the University of Yaoundé I (UYI) alternate between demands related to their professional interests (bonuses, salaries, scholarships, living conditions) and occasional political activism within a “closed and apolitical environment.”
Key points regarding the increasingly structured movements within the UYI:
- Teachers: The demands of SYNES (National Union of Higher Education Teachers) focus on improving the working conditions of higher education teachers, upgrading infrastructure, and so on. Although it is a teachers’ union, SYNES plays an important supporting role in student advocacy efforts.
- Students: ADDEC (Association for the Defense of Students’ Rights in Cameroon) is the main student union movement at UYI, advocating for nonviolence, the defense of academic freedom, increased scholarships for academic excellence, lower housing costs, safety in university dormitories, and improved living conditions. It opposes restrictive reforms and fights for student rights.
- Support staff : Union officials on the executive board of the National Union of Support Staff at Cameroon’s State Universities (SYNAPAUC) are taking steps to ensure that UYI support staff fully enjoy their rights (regular payment of salaries, increases in monthly pay, etc.).
It should be noted that the UYI regularly organizes training seminars to build the capacity of its association leaders. Accordingly, a training seminar for leaders of UY1 cultural associations and clubs was held on Monday, May 5, 2025, in the dining hall of University Restaurant No. 2. The meeting, chaired by the VRRCRME, Prof. Edmond BILOA, representing Rector Prof. Rémy Magloire ETOUA, took place in the presence of officials from the MINJEC (Ministry of Youth and Civic Education).
At UYI, faculty, students, and support staff enjoy freedom of association, which allows them to advocate for their interests. UYI is organized into faculties and administrative departments and operates under the authority of the Rector.
We recommend contacting the university’s admissions office or human resources department to obtain the most up-to-date information on the specific unions currently active on campus.
