A new school year in Cameroon, a million dreams, but will every child get a chance to learn?

As schools reopened across Cameroon on September 7, 2026, millions of children returned to classrooms with dreams of learning, growing, and building a better future.

But for children in conflict-affected communities, particularly in the North West and South West Regions of the country, the new school year began under very different circumstances: a painful reality that has persisted since late 2016.

Schools should never be targets. Teachers should never have to fear for their lives. No child should ever have to choose between education and safety.

When education is disrupted, the consequences extend far beyond the classroom and can reverberate across generations. Children lose precious opportunities to learn. Families lose hope. Communities lose the human capital they need to rebuild and thrive. And nations lose potential that may never be recovered. Moreover, the cycle of violence is most likely to continue, as those with little education are more susceptible to being recruited by armed groups.

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From 2016 to date, the loss of educational opportunity and human capital development has been enormous. More disturbing still, that loss is ongoing. It is a loss to the individual, a loss to families and communities, a loss to Cameroon, and ultimately, a loss to the world.

At Open Dreams, we believe that every child deserves a chance to thrive, and that there is nothing more empowering than access to education, regardless of where a child lives or the circumstances surrounding them.

As another school year begins, we stand in solidarity with every learner, every teacher, and every family affected by the ongoing crisis.

Protecting education, protecting educators, protecting children, and keeping the door to their dreams open is a community responsibility. It can no longer be left to institutions alone. Every one of us can play a role in protecting something that should never become a casualty of conflict.

Education is not a privilege to be suspended in times of crisis. It is a pathway out of crisis.

Every child deserves a chance to go to school

Every child deserves a chance to learn.

Every teacher deserves a chance to teach in peace. Everyone deserves the opportunity to prosper, pursue happiness, live with dignity, and build a better future, and education is one of the most powerful pathways to that dream.

Without meaningful access to education, hope is weakened, and dreams are diminished. Without proper access to education, a generation is lost.

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The future of children must not be blurred by circumstances beyond their control. They did not choose conflict. They should not have to pay its price with their education and their dreams.

At Open Dreams, we believe in education. We also believe that education cannot wait.

These children do not go to school only to serve Cameroon. They go to school to serve the world. Their dreams are bigger than borders. Their potential is limitless. And they deserve the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to thrive. No one should hinder them. Education cannot wait. “Education is an absolute necessity, not just for the children themselves but also for global peace, stability, and prosperity for all. Schools should be treated as sanctuaries and that it is our common responsibility to ensure that every child has access to an education, even at times of conflict.”- Ms. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict during Arria Formula Meeting on the issue of attacks on schools in October 2017.

... Photos: The Open Dreams College Orientation Program (ODCOP2026) for Students Who Excelled in the Cameroon GCE, Yaoundé, Cameroon | August 27–29, 2026.