An école normale supérieure (ENS) is a type of publicly funded higher education institution in France and most French-speaking countries in Africa like Cameroon.

A portion of the student body, admitted via a highly-selective competitive examination process, are French civil servants and are known as normaliens. ENSes also offers master’s degrees, and can be compared to “Institutes for Advanced Studies”. They constitute the top level of research-training education in the French university system.

[tds_warning]In Cameroon, it is referred to as the Higher Teachers Training Colledge in the English Language.[/tds_warning]