Cameroon

Psychology is only this year (1998) being made an autonomous discipline in one of the six universities in Cameroon. This is the University of Yaounde l. The First University of Cameroon created in 1961 was modelled on the Old French system, where psychology was seen only in the context of philosophy. Through informal discussions with prominent university professor, it was evident that psychology never had a department or a section in those early days. In Cameroon, psychology is offered as a course in teacher training colleges since their inception in 1916. The course constituted Child Development, Child Study and aspects of educational psychology. These courses allowed student teachers to identify relevant aspects necessary to understand the growing child in the learning context. In addition, even though there is no specific history of psychology in Cameroon, psychological attributes and constructs are evident in everyday activities, in the lives of Cameroonians.