By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Saint Jean University Institute is celebrating a milestone year, marking its 10th anniversary alongside the 20th anniversary of Prépa Saint Jean, formerly known as PrépaVogt. The two institutions have spent two decades pioneering high-level preparatory education and higher learning in Cameroon.
The celebration took place over two days, from 10 to 11 November, at the Eyang Campus. Representatives of partner schools, development partners and other guests attended.
Speaking at the event, Father Jean Hervé, Director of Saint Jean Ingénieur, recounted how the institution was created and the challenges and achievements it has recorded. He said the journey had not been easy, but that with the power of God its success could be measured.
“The journey has never been easy, especially when we were very concerned at the beginning about the future of scientific secondary school students,” he said.
“It was really a great challenge to give them a future, especially in professional careers, given that at the time there was just one engineering school in Cameroon, the National Advanced School of Engineering of Yaoundé.”
He added that the school admitted only 80 students a year, so very few students could pursue professional careers in scientific fields. At the time, he explained, universities mainly trained mathematicians and physicists.
“But there was nothing about engineering, about technical solutions to develop the country, and it was a great challenge. So we tried to help these students at the beginning with PrépaVogt, by giving them the opportunity to stay in Cameroon for the first two years after the baccalaureate or the GCE,” he said.
Today, Prépa Saint Jean Yaoundé (PrépaVogt) allows students to remain in Cameroon for two years and then gain admission to leading engineering schools in France.
Asked what he hoped attendees would take away from the celebration, Father Jean Hervé said: “We would like them to know that there are opportunities to go abroad to widen their minds.
“It is also possible to stay in Cameroon and receive good professional training, with good laboratories, good teaching and good project-based courses. So they must see, they must feel what they can do after their baccalaureate or their GCE.” Other speakers saluted the anniversary, describing it as “two round numbers, one story”.
Kelia Bahanag, a student at Saint Jean University, said she chose the Institute for its excellence, its international partnerships and the support it gives students.
She hopes to specialise in oil geology to help address questions around the management of natural resources, and to help limit the export of oil at the expense of Cameroon’s own needs. Christine Audrey Nkodjo, a Software Engineering student, said her field is directly tied to artificial intelligence.
“We are in an AI era, with advancing technology. We have been taught to stay in line and are updated every single day so that we can design secure solutions that will be used by everyone in society,” she said.
The first day was devoted to the inaugural edition of the Partner Schools Days (J-DEP). According to the institution, partner schools have supported its development since 2006, and more than 30 schools and universities across Europe, North America and Asia now open pathways for its students into engineering and management careers. Panel discussions and coaching workshops also featured during the celebrations.
The private higher education institution (IPES) was founded in 2016, followed in 2021 by the Saint Jean University Institute of Cameroon (IUSJC). It was established by the management of Collège Vogt and the founders of PrépaVogt, now Prépa Saint Jean Yaoundé. The project seeks to make high-quality higher education more affordable and to help curb brain drain.
Its academic supervising institutions include the University of Technology of Troyes, the University of Yaoundé I through the National Advanced School of Engineering of Yaoundé, and the University of Yaoundé II for the School of Management.
Its programmes include a Professional Bachelor’s degree, professional Master’s degrees, a five-year Engineering degree and preparatory classes for admission to leading graduate schools.
The Institute comprises six complementary schools: Saint Jean Ingénieur, Saint Jean School of Management, Saint Jean CPGE, Prépa Saint Jean Yaoundé (formerly PrépaVogt), Prépa Saint Jean Douala (formerly Prépa Saint Jean) and Prépa Saint Jean Abidjan.
