State power overpowers the ghost:

Gov’t Common Entrance written amid tight security

- Unregistered pupils also write exams

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Primary school pupils in Kumba, chief town of Meme Division, Southwest region have shun fear and successfully written the Government Common Entrance Examination without any incident. The examinations went on hitch free in all the examination centres in Kumba.

                At Government Practicing School Kumba Town and Government Bilingual Primary School Kumba-Mbeng where this reporter made a stopover, the atmosphere was serene and calm just like in other parts of the town.

                According to some pupils who talked to this reporter, they attended private classes at home to enable them take the examination.

                “My parents paid one of my teachers who always came home to teach me in the evenings in all my subjects,” revealed one of the pupils.

                Quizzed on their evaluation of the examination questions, sundry candidates expressed mixed feelings.

                “The questions were not very difficult to me though I could not answer all,” indicated one of the candidates. Others said they only went to write the examination to satisfy their parents because they were not prepared.

                “My parents accompanied me to the centre but I could not really answer the questions. So I just wrote my names and waited for some time and submitted my answer papers,” noted one of the pupils, who was shedding tears because he feared he would not make it to form one.

                The various centres were jammed with heavily armed gun-toting and combat ready uniform officers to prevent any eventuality. Hundreds of parents also stormed the various centres to protect their kids in case of attacks.

                According to the inspector of Basic education for Kumba I sub division, Madam Beatrice Mukwelle, pupils who didn’t register for the exams were allowed to write. To her the situation was only to be regularized after the exams are written. She equally debunked rumours of pupils being allowed to write in any centre “pupils were allowed to write only in centres were they were supposed to and so we didn’t witness any of such case here” she noted. She however was happy with the turnout of the pupils.