Low Key Commemoration:

Mission & Private Schools Boycott Youth Day Festivities in K’ba

-Teachers march past in place of students and amidst tight security

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Kumba youths march on youth day

Mission and private schools that constitute a greater part of the basic and secondary education family in Kumba gave a complete blackout to celebrations marking the 52nd edition of the country’s Youth Day celebrated this Sunday February 11, 2018.

The event that took place at the Kumba City Grand Stand was celebrated under the theme “Youth, Multiculturalism, Peace and National Unity”. It was void of any Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, as well as other mission institutions. Even private schools gave a total boycott to the event.

Reacting shortly after the march pass exercise on the boycott of the youth day celebration by mission and private schools, the Meme chief executive officer, Chamberlin Ntou’ou Ndong said he was disturbed but expressed optimism on the fact that they will surely join in the future. He added the boycott of the mission and private schools could be as a result of the particular situation that the Division is facing. Ntou’ou Ndong also saluted the courage of the youths who turnout in their numbers to march while urging all and sundry to work in peace to ensure the future is bright.

                Majority of the government primary and secondary schools were represented at the youth day celebration in Kumba by their teachers. The teachers all marched in their numbers carrying signboards representing their schools while in some cases accompanied by few courageous pupils and students.  Few secondary school students in some of the colleges also participated in the celebration.

                The youth day celebration was also graced by the various government teacher’s raining colleges in Kumba accompanied by a special parade of a mixture of youths of all works of life with placards calling for peace and return for calm in the restive Anglophone regions.