After umpteenth admissions scandal:

Ayah Paul weeps for Cameroon, calls for closure of ENAM

-Says stuffing the public service with handpicked, unqualified and academically weak Cameroonians is not only dangerous but produces untold repercussions for the country’s economy

By Akoson Raymond, PAP National Secretary

Chief Justice Ayah Paul

The Cameroon media was awash last week with news of the publication of scandalous results of the 2016 Entrance Examinations into the School of Administration and Magistracy ENAM. However, what took away sleep from the eyes of the leadership of PAP is how such scandalous recruitments can further plunge the economy of Cameroon.

                But as you are well aware, the PAP is ready and determined more than ever before to always point out the pitfalls and the excesses of the Biya regime and to advice its actors through such regular publications. This explains our belated reaction.

Facts that speak

                After going through the official results signed and published by the Director General of ENAM, Mr. Linus Toussaint Mendjana on 10 August 2016, PAP spots a number of glaring cases of unscrupulousness, double-dealing, fraud, misconduct and crimes:

1. The Case of a certain ATANGANA Joseph Yanick

                ATANGANA Joseph Yanick’s name appeared on two separate lists for the same cycle; it appeared on the list of those who had ‘successfully passed’ the Entrance Examination into the General Administrative Division (name number 26) as well as on the list of those who were ‘successful’ for entrance into the Economics and Finance Division (name number 11).

                PAP is aware that the written part of ENAM for entrance into the different divisions for a particular cycle (Cycle A or B) takes place concomitantly. How could Mr. ATANGA Joseph Yanick have been successful at some exam he didn’t sit for?

2. Children of the Governing Elite favoured

                While president Biya advised the youths of Cameroon to try their hands in agriculture, his friends and aides prefer otherwise – to get their children into ENAM through unorthodox means. A careful perusal of the list of ‘successful’ candidates reveals surnames of children and close relatives of the high and mighty in Yaounde. They include inter alia:

- Abate Edi’iAurelleManuella, ranked No. 1 in alphabetical order in the General Administration Section, naturally links to John Abate Edi’i, current Governor of the North Region;

                - Abba Ali comes second and could quickly be related to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Relations with the Assemblies, Amadou Ali;

                - BetiAssomo Estelle Melissa is the daughter of the current Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic in charge of Defence, Joseph BetiAssomo;

- Bidoung Yves Kevin is a relative of the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Pierre Ishmael BidoungMpkatt;

                - MebeNgo’o Alain Didier Serge following a CPDM explanation simply resembles that of the Minister of Transport Edgard Alain MebeNgo’o.

The Economic Repercussions

                There are repercussions of wanton proportions when the brightest minds of a country are relegated to the background for less qualified individuals. Recruitment and selection of students for training to take up public service tasks have an important role to play in ensuring performance and positive/negative outcomes in the Public Sector. Selection of students for further training occurs not just to replace departing Civil Servants or add to a workforce but rather, it must aim to put in place servants who can perform at a high level and spur growth for the country. Inappropriate selection decisions such as what we see at ENAM can be distressing for teachers who have to deal with unsuitable and very weak students; produce mediocre public servants that reduce Public service effectiveness and invalidate development strategies.

                That is why on July 3, 2013 an international NGO – the African Network for Financial Justice, REJ-A, published, on the BUSINESS IN CAMEROON website (http://www.businessincameroon.com) -- its ten-year long (2000 – 2009) finding; that, the Republic of Cameroon lost 6,000 billion francs CFA between 2000 and 2009 because of problems faced in collecting revenue. Yes, you got the figure right – 6 Trillion francs CFA. They blamed this, amongst other reasons on wrong tax rackets, poor interpretation of the tax code and other errors in tax calculations.

                Take a minute and reflect on what 6 Trillion Francs CFA could do. It could provide 500,000 jobs with a monthly take home pay package of 100,000 francs CFA for the next ten years. This is the same thing as providing jobs to ALL inhabitants of Bamenda town or to more than half the population of the entire Adamawa Region based on the 2010 Projections of the 2005 Census Results.

                When you recruit an academically weak mind for training in lieu of the more apt, qualified ‘brain boxes’ this is what you get in return; garbage in garbage out.

PAP’s Recommendations:

                - We call on the Government of Cameroon to cancel the ENAM results of the 2016 Session;

                - Cameroon must once and for all evolve from the traditional anachronistic recruitment and selection process to a more modern 21st Century approach. How? Create a more strategic Public Sector Human Resource Management outfit; genuinely introduce Strategic Human Resource Management to the Public Sector if we must become emergent by 2035.

                No need to emphasize the far reaching positive consequences in creating a Human Resources Management Ministry and merge with the Ministry of Education; the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Management – to replace the current plethora of education ministries and the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms.

                Ever thought for a minute what the benefits would be to begin raising public servants from secondary school? This would, to a large extent kill disturbing proportions of career uncertainties faced by students; orientate and counsel students towards pursuing specific career options based on their academic strengths, passion for the discipline and other competences.