CAMES

Overview

CAMES (Conseil africain et malgache pour l'enseignement supérieur) is a regional higher-education body based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. For people who want a university career, it runs the procedures that decide who can hold a senior academic post in its member states. CAMES is not one exam. This page covers the three procedures it runs for academic careers:

• the Comités Consultatifs Interafricains (CCI), a file-based evaluation that places lecturers and researchers on lists of aptitude for each grade;

• the agrégation competition for law, political science, economics and management (SJPEG);

• the agrégation competition for medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine and animal production (MPOMV).

The official site and the documents described here are in French. CAMES also runs other programmes, such as university olympiads and quality assurance, which are not exams for staff and are not covered here.

Levels or stages

Comités Consultatifs Interafricains (CCI)

The CCI programme dates from an agreement of 1976 and works as a shared career framework for the nineteen member countries. Each lecturer-researcher or researcher is assessed individually on scientific competence and teaching ability, then entered on a list of aptitude for a grade.

Applications are filed on 15 February each year, and the committees meet every July. A general advisory committee (CCG), made up of rectors, university presidents and national research directors, oversees the programme. The assessment itself is done by eight specialised technical committees (CTS), each made up of experts from member countries and meeting once a year. Their disciplines are:

• literature and human sciences

• mathematics, physics and chemistry

• natural sciences and agronomy

• legal and political sciences

• economics and management

• medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and veterinary medicine

• engineering sciences and technology

• sport, youth and leisure sciences and techniques

Agrégation in law, political science, economics and management (SJPEG)

This competition has existed since 1983. Its stated aims are to recruit higher-education staff at an international level, to adapt recruitment to African conditions, to assess candidates' aptitude to teach, and to promote lecturers.

Since 2017, only candidates already on the LAFMA list (Maître-assistant) may enter. The file is submitted by 31 May of odd-numbered years, and the competition itself is held in November.

There are six sections: history of institutions, private law, public law, political science, economics and management. Each has three tests in sequence:

Agrégation in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine and animal production (MPOMV)

The aims match those of the SJPEG competition. Eligible candidates are Maîtres-assistants or heads of practical work with at least two years of seniority as confirmed Maîtres-assistants, shown by their registration on the list of aptitude and by the appointment decree, order or decision, certified and legalised.

The file is submitted by 31 May of even-numbered years, and the competition is held in November.

Section for medicine, surgery, basic and mixed sciences, pharmacy and dentistry

1. Presentation of qualifications and works, with discussion with the jury, 30 minutes.

2. A lesson of 45 minutes after 5 hours of preparation in a booth, with documents allowed by the jury.

3. A practical test suited to the discipline, such as examining patients or laboratory practical work. The jury sets the duration.

Section for veterinary medicine and animal production

1. Presentation of qualifications and works, with discussion with the jury, 1 hour.

2. A lesson of 1 hour after 5 hours of preparation in a booth, with documents.

3. A lesson of 1 hour after 24 hours of preparation.

4. Three practical or clinical tests, with durations set by the jury.

Marking and results

In both agrégation competitions, a mark below 8 out of 20 in any test eliminates the candidate. The SJPEG competition announces results at three points: sous-admissibilité, admissibilité and admission. The official pages read for this page do not give the full scoring weights or pass mark beyond this elimination rule.

Important dates

These deadlines come from the programme descriptions on the CAMES site, so check the current call for applications each cycle.

• CCI: applications by 15 February each year; committees meet in July.

• SJPEG agrégation: file by 31 May of odd years (the next such year is 2027); competition in November.

• MPOMV agrégation: file by 31 May of even years; competition in November.

How to apply

The CAMES site has a candidate-help section and separate platforms for the CCI and the agrégation, listed in its menu. The site also has document sections for the agrégation competitions and the CCI files. The pages read for this page do not set out the application steps, so follow the instructions published there for the current session. For contact details, use the contact page on the CAMES site.

Preparation tips

• Plan the route early. Agrégation candidates must already be on a list of aptitude, so the CCI comes first.

• For the lessons, practise delivering a full lesson within the time limit after a long preparation period, since a mark below 8 out of 20 in any test eliminates.

• Keep proof of your appointment and registration on the list of aptitude ready for the file.