KupeMuanenguba, Manyu, Ndian confirm
schools will effectively resume
-Gov’t Ministers, SDOs reassure hesitant
parents, students and officials heir security is guaranteed
By Ayukogem Steven Ojong&Doh Bertrand
Nua with additional reports
 |
| Bangem Saturday 7 January: Ministers Ngole Philip and Elung Paul calling on teachers and students to go to school |
The SDO of KupeMuanenguba Division has
assured stakeholders of the education sector in the division that all necessary
measures, notably security measures, have been put in place to ensure the
safety of pupils, students and officials as schools resume today Monday, 9
January 2017 in the division. HadissonQuetong was speaking in Bangem Saturday,
at a sensitization meeting organized at the behest of the two government
ministers from KupeMuanenguba, Philip NgoleNgwese of Forestry and Wildlife, and
Elung Paul Che, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Finance.
Thanking
the ministers for the wonderful initiative, Mr. Quetong used the occasion to
hail the people of KupeMuanenguba for once again demonstrating exemplary
Republican consciousness, when they refused to heed calls by teachers’ trade
unions for teachers to drop the chalk and stay at home. The SDO exhorted the
people of KupeMuanenguba to maintain this republican spirit even as the teachers
are leaving no stone unturned in their resolve to disrupt the smooth reopening
of schools in the NW and SW, on Monday 9 January 2017.
The
SDO reassured his hearers that after fact-finding and sensitization visits on
the field, he can state without fear of contradiction that the people of
KupeMuanenguba are set to begin school come Monday 9 January. He said the
administration has put all in place to guarantee the security of students and
pupils in and out of school.
Opening
the sensitization meeting earlier, the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife,
Philip NgoleNgwese enjoined his brothers and sisters of KupeMuanenguba not to
make the error of heeding calls by the forces of destruction for students to
keep away from school. Reminding his hearers of President Biya’s determination
to examine all the grievances advanced by the strikers and ensure that lasting
solutions come out from the ongoing dialogue, Minister Ngole fired a grim
warning at any persons who want to compromise the education of the children of
KupeMuanenguba.
Besides,
the MINFOF also recalled measures already taken by government to address some
of the concerns raised. He mentioned notably the ongoing transfer of
Francophone teachers out of Anglophone schools; suppression of CAP and
Baccalaureate from the English technical education sub-system; assurance of a
level ground for Anglophones and Francophones in public recruitment exams;
strict respect of regional balance in recruitments and admissions into public
schools; recruitment of 1000 bilingual teachers to make good the lack of
teachers in schools, and the disbursement of an additional 2 billion fcfa for
improvement of private and denominational schools among others.
“If
these measures already taken and others to come from the ongoing dialogue are
not concessions from government then what are they,” questioned Minister
NgoleNgwese, who at once wondered aloud: “While waiting for dialogue to take
root, shall we keep our children at home?”
Taking
the queue, the Minister Delegate to the MINFI, Paul ElungChe, called on all
stakeholders to be on board to ensure a smooth and effective resumption of
school in KupeMuanenguba. Mr. Elung pointed out to his brothers and sisters of
KupeMuanenguba that given that they are hardly gifted or successful industrialists
or businessmen, the only way out for them has always been education.
“We
don’t have successful businessmen or industrialists in KupeMuanenguba but
thanks to education we can boast of people who excel in many other domains
including even ministers,” Minister Elung said, calling on the people of
KupeMuanenguba to shun the negative propaganda and misinformation being
propagated in the social media.
“The
head of state instructed the PM to listen to the strikers, examine their
grievances and propose solutions. The PM did just that; dialogue has been
engaged and measures are already being taken,” Mr. Elung noted, urging striking
teachers to heed the dialogue call and strive to make deals there from, instead
of resorting to endless strikes and calling for a change of the form of the
state.
“We
engage in dialogue to make deals; any body who fails to make deals is lost to
history,” Elung Paul advised, maintaining that all the problems of Anglophones
can be solved without necessarily changing the form of the state and
reaffirming that “Cameroon will remain One, United and indivisible.”
Other
speakers at the meeting including the delegates of basic and secondary
education, the PTAs representative and the Chairman of the KupeMuanenguba
Chiefs Conference all assured the ministers that schools will effectively
resume in the division come Monday 9 January 2017.
Meetings in Kumba, Buea, Tiko, Mundemba
Apart
from Bangem in KupeMuanenguba division, similar sensitization meetings were
held in Kumba, Meme Division, Mundemba in Ndian Division and Buea and Tiko in
Fako division and Kumba in Meme Division. In all these meetings local
administrators were joined by elites and chiefs to guarantee the populations
that all was set for effective resumption of schools. The assurances were
however given amid calls for ghost towns by the Consortium of Anglophone Civil
Societies.
The
assurances of government notwithstanding, some teachers and parents present at
the meetings maintained that the grievances of teachers are legitimate and
should be addressed before the strike can be called off. Some teachers and
parents also indicated that schools will only resume for their kids when they
are sure there are security guarantees.
No comments:
Post a Comment