Gov’t and Consortium in ping-pong duel:

Schools to resume today amid calls for ghost towns

-Government reassures of security guarantees, as Anglophone Civil Society Consortium calls for dead campuses, ghost towns 

-Fearing insecurity, authorities of Catholic, Presbyterian and Private schools warn parents to keep their children at home

By Nestor Njodzefe in Bamenda

Prime Minister Philemon Yang

Prime Minister Philemon Yang has called on parents to send their children to school today Monday January 9, 2017 and has invited the education family to put hands together for the smooth start of the second term in the North West and South West regions despite the ongoing strike action by teachers.

                The PM in a communiqué signed on January 4, also assured all and sundry that security measures have been taken to ensure a hitch-free movement of people throughout the country, notably in the NW and SW regions. Philemon Yang also reaffirmed government’s readiness to engage in frank, fruitful dialogue with Trade Unionists to arrive at consensus solutions to grievances raised concerning the English sub system of education. He said the issues have been identified and lasting solutions are being contemplated.

                The PM’s communiqué triggered the convening of a series of meetings by SDOs and DOs in the different divisions and sub divisions in the North West and South West regions, bringing together parents, traditional rulers, Principals and Head teachers of schools with the aim to convince them to ensure that schools effectively take-off on Monday 9 January.

                In a similar move, elites of the North West region accompanied by Senators and Members of Parliament have been calling for an effective back to school. In the communique published on 4 January 2017, the elites argued that an unending protest shall compromise the future of children in the English-speaking part of the country.

                The communique further noted that President Paul Biya’s request for an honest dialogue between the protesting groups and the government is an indication that he is ready to make concessions if only to seek a lasting solution to the problems raised.

Teachers call for ghost towns, dead campuses

                Despite government’s propaganda, the leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, CACSC, led by its president Barrister Felix NkonghoAgborBalla (President), DrFontemNeba of SYNES UB (SG) and Wilfred Tassang of Cameroon Teachers Trade Union (Rapporteur), in a statement issued on 6 January 2017 maintained that the strike continues. They have also called for ghost towns and general civil disobedience in the entire NW and SW regions beginning Monday the 9th of January.

                “The strike actions called by lawyers and teachers of the NW and SW origin in October and November respectively are still in full force. Schools are closed down from nursery to university in these regions until government takes concrete steps to address the issues raised by the groups” a statement from the briefing reads

                “In addition to the strike called by the lawyers and teachers, the consortium which comprises civil societies and active forces has declared a ghost town operation throughout the entire west Cameroon on Monday January 9, 2017. All indigenes of west Cameroon must show solidarity with the struggle and abide by the strike call and the ghost town operations” the statement continues.

                As regards the dialogue process the consortium observed that the AD Hoc committee created to resolve the problems raised by the lawyers and teachers has not achieved anything “largely because the government does not want to move the process forward”.

                They lamented that the Chairperson of the teacher’s Ad Hoc committee continues to call meetings without prior consultation with the teachers’ unions and so issues that should be settled before the meeting continue to stall dialogue.

                The consortium also regretted that the Chairperson of the Lawyers Ad Hoc committee has not been very truthful about the progress that the committee has made.

Private and confessional schools halt schools re-opening

                Despite repeated calls and security assurances from public administrators across Anglophone Cameroon relating to the re-opening of schools for the second term of the 2016-2017 academic year, many schools particularly private and confessional schools are seemingly not feeling secured and prepared to open their doors come Monday January 9, 2017.

                The Education Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon PCC in a letter to Presbyterian Education Authority (PEA) Principals, said “following numerous threats to our schools and in consultation with the proprietor, I have been directed to inform you to tell our parents to hold on with their children for the re-opening till further notice.”

                The Education secretary for the Buea Diocese Fr. Alexender Sob, on the instructions of the Bishop, His Lordship Bishop Emmanuel Bushu, Chancellor of Academic orders has also postponed the reopening of all Catholic Schools within the Buea Diocese until further notice.

Minesec makes another vain trip to Bamenda

                On Saturday 7 January 2017 the Minister of Secondary Education, Jean Ernest MessanaNgalleBibehe held a meeting in Bamenda with leaders of Anglophone Teacher Trade Unions and the National President of the Union of Parent Teachers Associations (UPTA) in a bid to find solutions to the strike but the meeting yielded little fruits. 

                In a press release read at the end of the meeting, the leaders thanked the Minister for the “redeployment of teachers to classrooms where their competences pre-disposes them to operate”.

                “We pray that the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee should hasten the sitting of this committee so as to pave the way for concrete solutions to the other burning issues raised, so that the ice in place can be broken” the release concludes.