Cameroon:Professor Julius Ngoh castigates SYNES for shying away from discussing ideas

Professor J. V. Ngoh

Professor Victor Julius Ngoh, Deputy Vice-chancellor in charge of Research, Cooperation and Relations, in the University of Buea, is a renowned professor of history and author of several books. His outspokenness on issues of national interest makes him to be seen by many not only as a critical but also as controversial figure. Recently SYNES Buea, a teachers’ trade union, called for a lecturers’ strike to press for, among other things, the election of heads of departments, deans and the Vice-chancellor of University of Buea and the call was honored. Last March 11, RECORDER Editor Christopher Ambe interviewed the Professor and Deputy Vice-chancellor about the strike action and more. Read on.

Professor Julius Ngoh, you are a senior official of the university of Buea.Lecturers were recently on strike. What is the situation now?

I would like first of all to say that I am granting this interview not as a senior official of the University of Buea but as a teacher of the University of Buea, Professor of History, in the History Department.

Are you a member of SYNES?

I was one of the founding members of SYNES in the early 1990’s when it was really an uphill task. But when I was transferred to Buea I felt that certain conditions were not put in place and I decided not to be a member. And I would like to explain why. When we created SYNES, it was agreed that Assistant Lecturers should not be members of SYNES because they were and are not permanent civil servants, if I can put it that way because they are recruited two years renewable twice. And if they don’t change their grade they are fired. And their contract is with the university concerned, not with the public service. If an Assistant Lecturer refuses to fulfill the duties he signed to perform, it is much easier for the Rector or Vice-chancellor to sanction that assistant lecturer unlike a civil servant; so that is why I had advised that assistant lecturers should not be members of SYNES, but SYNES should protect their interest. But when that was not accepted when I talked with my friend Dr.Fonyam in 2000 I decided not to be a member because I thought that I had to protect the interest of Assistant Lecturers.

Before we talk more about SYNES, are you saying that assistant lecturers are now members of SYNES?

Sure! SYNES has Assistant Lecturers as members. And you see, if an assistant lecturer does change grade after six years, if the text is applied she or he should be fired. So you have a situation where Assistant Lecturers should be advised to be more focused, to publish and change grade. And it is partly because of that failure that we have Assistant Lecturers who have been in that grade for almost ten years.

Judging from the activities of SYNES, some critics shave described it as a rebellious group. You people started it; what is SYNES all about?

In fact, I don’t think it is a rebellious group. It is a teachers’ trade union. It is necessary. It is welcome and it is indispensable for the academic and social welfare of the teaching staff. I think it is a worthwhile group. There are issues which SYNES raises which I support. If you like you can verify with Dr.Yanou, who is the current president of SYNES Buea chapter, you can verify from Dr.Fontem or Dr.Fonyam. If an issue is correct I support it; if it is not correct I don’t support it. But the long and short of is that SYNES is very necessary.

Let us come now to the recent UB strike called by SYNES pressing that Heads of departments, deans and the Vice-chancellor be elected. As a member of the university, as a teacher with many years of varied experiences, would you say the call for the strike was genuine and reasonable?

If you look at Article 54 of the presidential decree of 19 January 1993, which says something along that line, you will be tempted to say yes.But I would like to say here that the implementation of that decree can not be done conveniently; because the way I look at it there are certain modifications or amendments that should be done in order to make that article worthwhile. It should be noted that all lecturers in the eight State universities, I am not talking of assistant lecturers, I am talking about lecturers, associate professors and professors- are either civil servant s or contract officers with the government, which means that as a civil servant a lecturer can be transferred to any of the eight state universities and he or she can’t refuse except on serious medical or social reason if it can be verified. It therefore means that if a civil servant can be transferred, it is not possible for SYNES-given the present text, to insist that election of deans, heads of department and vice-chancellor be done. Because if a lecturer is elected dean or head of department and the Government decides to transfer that lecturer to another university to teach-I have not said the government decides to appoint, that lecturer is bound to go and teach; which means that SYNES cannot turn around to say that we have elected this lecturer as head of department or dean so he or she should not be transferred. The present pretext does not give SYNES or the elected official the right to refuse the transfer; but he or she can refuse an appointment because civil servants are not obliged to accept appointments.

Secondly, the lecturers in UB are not permanent lecturers of the University of Buea.They  were recruited by the Ministry of Higher education on behalf of the Public Service, which means that they can not refuse to go on transfer. And since they are not permanent lecturers of UB, they can be transferred to other universities.

It is not like the University of Oxford where the lecturers are recruited by the University of Oxford and promoted by the same university; they can be fired by the University of Oxford but they can not be transferred to the University of Cambridge. Same with the University of Nsukka,the lecturers of Nsukka are permanent lecturers there-recruited and promoted by the appropriate authorities of the University of Nsukka.Those lecturers cannot be transferred to say the University of Lagos. But that is not what exists in Cameroon state universities. And also, one important point which we should understand is that the change of grade in Cameroon is not done by an individual university; it is not done by the University of Buea or the University of Yaoundé 1. It is done by a commission .The Commission, following the text, meets twice a year. So this is also something which is different. The other universities like Oxford, Cambridge or Nsukka do their promotions.

And finally, what should be understood is that it is wrong to give the impression that in all Anglophone universities, teachers elect their heads of departments, deans and their vice-chancellors. It is not true and it is not the 21^st century tendency because I know some of my colleagues have said that because we are in the 21^st century we must democratize university management. I am strongly for good governance, for good university management and governance. But this does not mean that it must be by election. That is not the trend of the 21^st Century; more and more vice-chancellors and deans are called to be managers. More and more they are given a fixed target. You are appointed dean or vice-chancellor and this is what we expect from you. It should also be borne in mind that with the progress of time, there are now more and more stakeholders in university management. Universities are no longer only research and teaching institutions; there is now a third component: outreach development.  Many stakeholders are involved in the success of a university management; so they have directly or indirectly a say on who should manage the university. And finally, state universities in Cameroon are financed to the tune of almost 90% by the government. It should be understood that the Government pays the salaries of all the lecturers, in the broad sense of the word and gives subventions. So almost 90% of state universities are financed by the government and it would be strange to expect, given the present context, the government not to have a say; not to decide who to manage the 90% of the funds it gives state universities.

Remember in all Anglophone universities, students pay both registration and tuition fees. At the University of Buea, like in all other State universities in Cameroon, students pay only registration fees. Those who advance that UB is an Anglophone university should not stretch this argument too far, for I find it hard to accept that students in the University of Buea and their parents will be comfortable to be told that they should pay tuition fees while other state universities are exempted.

 From your argument, don’t you think that if lecturers are elected to the positions of say heads of departments, deans or vice-chancellor and they are transferred elsewhere, another election can replace them?

You are now coming back to the same issue. In the final analysis it means the government has the right to transfer lecturers. There is no text which says the government should transfer only one person. That is why I say the present decree of 19 January 1993 should be looked into first. They should not say election be done, don’t put the cart before the horse. Create the conducive atmosphere before you do that. If you have not addressed the issues I have raised, you cannot talk of election.

Now you are just an observer of SYNES but you are so knowledgeable.Why don’t you  come back on board by joining SYNES, so to help make it stronger and more reasonable?

I know my friend s in SYNES are honest. In meetings we have had with them, which are chaired by the vice-chancellor, If they raise a point which I know it is right, I support them. And if they raise a point which is wrong I don’t support them. My worry with SYNES is that more often they get away from discussing ideas; from allowing sound arguments to hold. They get too sentimental and personal. They now take on individual colleagues.Oh, you spend so many years on one grade, you have not changed; it means you are not worthy; that is being personal. People should discuss Ideas. Even some of them who are talking, spent even more years on a particular grade than those they are trying to insult. You would be surprised to hear some of them talk of Francophone’s /Anglophones. It defeats the purpose.SYNES is not only for Anglophone or Francophone lecturers. But I have heard talk like some lecturers are not supposed to be here because they are Francophones. SYNES is open to both Francophone and Anglophone lecturers.

Even though you don’t want to talk in your capacity as a senior official of University of Buea  but you are a teacher there  with many years of experience .It is alleged that, out of the 100 lecturers recently recruited and sent to the University of Buea,more than 80 % are Francophones who don’t know good English. What is your take on that?

Please, let me explain one point. The language of instruction is English. Please don’t take a general view. I am surprised that colleagues don’t make exceptions. In the French Department, do you expect the lecturers there to be dominantly Anglophones even if there are Francophones more qualified to teach in that Department? If a Francophone is qualified to teach French and he is transferred to Buea, why should people complain? I think we should make exceptions.
Secondly, it is true to say some Francophones sent to Buea have English language deficiency.
Thirdly, my View is that even those whose  English language is not very good, measures should be put in place to let them improve on their English…To generalize  that they are Francophones and their level of English is not good is unfair. Some of them speak and write good English is very good. As I said, exception should be made.

This bonus question: You are not the Vice-chancellor of the University of Buea, but you are part of its leadership and management. Would you say all is well at UB?

You see my principle has always been to tell hierarchy actually what is on the ground. And by so doing you are helping hierarchy to take appropriate measures. I would be dishonest on my part to say all is well. Should I make the mistake to say all is well, then the first question to me would be “Then, why did SYNES go on strike? “ I am sure I have answered your question

First published in The RECORDER Newspaper, Cameroon, of March 23, 2012