With the new school year starting on September 7, parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children are once again faced with the question of where to enroll their children. In Yaounde, specialized and inclusive schools offer different options, but information on places, staff and sign-language support remains limited.
ESEDA, a specialized school
The Specialized School for Hearing Impaired Children (ESEDA) is one of the main institutions dedicated to children with hearing impairments in Yaounde. Located in Messa, the school provides specialized education and uses sign language as an important means of communication.
According to the latest research, inclusive schools for deaf and hard-hearing children count 120 learners, 80% of them with hearing impairments. The school also has experience in supporting children with different degrees of hearing loss.
PROMHANDICAM: learning together
PROMHANDICAM’s Inclusive Nursery and Primary School offers another model. Children with and without disabilities learn together, from nursery school through the six primary grades
For the 2026–2027 school year, the organization lists annual fees of 100,000 CFA francs for nursery school and 80,000 CFA francs for primary school. Transport is listed separately at 100,000 CFA francs.
The school also works with mainstream partner schools in Yaoundé. However, parents of deaf children should confirm whether sign-language support or staff specifically trained in hearing impairment is available for their child.
Are there enough trained teachers?
This is one of the major challenges facing inclusive education. In July 2026, PROMHANDICAM launched recruitment for teachers for the new school year. Candidates were expected to have teaching qualifications and experience, preferably in inclusive education. Experience or training in supporting children with special educational needs, including hearing impairment, was an advantage.
The organization’s public information does not, however, indicate how many teachers currently master sign language.
The issue was also at the center of a recent advocacy meeting. On August 24, the Cameroonian Organization for the Development of the Deaf (OCDS), supported by PROMHANDICAM, met the Mfoundi Divisional Delegation of Basic Education to call for sign-language specialists in nursery and primary schools.
Apart from that, several schools in Yaounde also enrol deaf children, although they are not fully inclusive.
Before choosing a school
For parents, the right school is not necessarily the cheapest or the closest. Before registration, it is important to ask whether teachers can communicate in sign language, whether a specialist or interpreter is available, how many deaf children are enrolled, what levels are offered and whether the school can accommodate the child’s specific needs.
Cameroon’s inclusive education policy is expanding, but there is still no comprehensive, up-to-date public directory of schools in Yaoundé showing their capacity, fees, number of trained teachers and sign-language services.
For families preparing for September 7, the search therefore requires direct verification. A school may open its doors to a deaf child, but genuine inclusion begins when that child can understand the lesson, communicate with teachers and participate fully in classroom life.
