Chart No. 5: Number of persons recruited in 2016 800 700 600 500 Competitive Entrance Examinations into Training Institutions 400 Direct Competitive Examination 300 200 100 0 Men Women Total 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 Available Places 800 Men 600 Women 400 200 0 Competitive Entrance Examinations into Training Institutions Direct Competitive Examinations Total Chart No.6: Proportion of persons recruited according to sex in 2016 842- In addition to the afore-mentioned competitive entrance examinations, MINFOPRA employed 3 307 contract workers in 2016. In 2017, following the criteria of merit and equity, various competitive entrance examinations into the Public Service424 led to the recruitment of 1,773 Cameroonians of diverse works of life out of 22,140 candidates for 1,906 positions advertised while respecting regional balance, thus a coverage rate of 93%. 843- So many women sat for the competitive entrance examinations in 2017. For instance, 10 426 female candidates were registered against 1,1714 male candidates, that is a 47% and 53% rate respectively. The results revealed a lower rate of admission for women compared to men, that is, 46% against 54% with 818 women and 955 men out of 1,773 persons admitted. Table No. 15: Total Number of candidates at competitive entrance examinations in 2017 424 67 Directly recruited, 15 admitted into training schools and 3 through selection tests. 139