Government intensifies campaign for effective school resumption

By Etta Cecilia Nyangalo & Vera Munyang  Ngu*

For two years, disruptions and boycotts of schools , imposed by  activists seeking the Independence of  Anglophones, prevented tens  of thousands of students and pupils in the Northwest and Southwest regions from attending  school, despite assurances from Cameroon government  that the security of all was guaranteed. 

As the on-going crisis turned violent, bloody and deadly, fear of organized attacks on schools forced parents to hold back their children at home.

But this year, Government, using different methods, has intensified its campaign for effective school re-opening.

For instance,in Buea, Capital of Southwest Region, Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai,on August 29, personally presided at a CRTV (Radio) Buea outdoor and live broadcast  on Back-to-school campaign,in continuation of education campaign.

The Governor reiterated the importance of education and re-assured parents, students and pupils that all security has been beefed-up   to ensure a safe return to schools.

He urged the populations to conquer fear by supporting and ensuring school resumption. 

“A man without education is useless”,he noted. “Though dialogue is what we need for peace to reign, it has to begin with each and every one of us, as individuals.”

 Schools were officially scheduled to resume on September 3, throughout the national territory.

Speaking during the on-air ceremony, the Mayor of Buea,Ekema Patricl Esunge,who strongly denounced the call for school boycott, said  he is the personality that he is today because he got educated.

He announced a scholarship package of twenty (20) million Fcfa for schools in Buea Municipality. He urged that the population to overcome fear and permit schools functional again smoothly.

It emerged that out of 390 secondary /high schools in the South West Region for the 2017/2018 academic year, 71 were not operational because of the Anglophone crisis

 In a review of last academic year, the South West Regional Delegate for Basic Education, Madam Dorothy Motaze, said in spite of the challenges such a low school attendance a, the sector still registered some significant successes

CRTV Buea station Manager, Kange Williams, who moderated, the outdoor broadcast,also invited   some university dons such as the Registrar of University of Buea (UB), Prof.Roland N.Ndip,who talked about the preparation of UB for this academic year, whose  registration was already  on-going.

Traditional rulers such as Chief Atem Ebako and a retired CRTV Journalist Robert Abunaw, joined voices to call for school resumption, stressing the role of education to the development of society

Also speaking was a representative of NMI Education publisher and Cambridge, Atemnkeng Nkafu Marie Ann, who gave the assurance that   78% of NMI Education and Cambridge- approved school textbooks were already available in the market and that 22% of the remaining books will be available before the start of the second week of September

*Etta Cecilia Nyangalo  & Vera  Munyang  Ngu are University of Buea Journalism Interns.