The academics said they should have been given jobs in the state universities
Three Cameroonian academics are in hospital after police beat them up at a protest in the capital, Yaoundé.
Another protester, a 45-year-old woman reportedly took poison and was rushed to hospital.
They were part of a group of approximately 200 PhD holders who were protesting against missing out on jobs at state universities.
The academics said they had been volunteering in state universities for years.
Their spokesperson Nanan Herman said that the successful recruits had lesser qualifications.
Higher Education Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo promised on Tuesday to look into their grievances, but insisted the recruitment was based on merit.
Some of the protesters have started a hunger strike at the ministry's headquarters, vowing to stay put until government offers them employment.