ENS Bertoua, University of Ngoundere:

Prof. Fame Ndongo Denies Admission to Anglophone Students

Less than six (06) Anglophone students were admitted out of a total of 230 students admitted into different departments of cycle II of the Higher Teachers’ Training College, ENS Bertuoa, for the 2018/2019 Academic year. The admissions decision was signed by Higher Education Minister, Fame Ndongo, on 22 October 2018

By Tanyi Kenneth Musa in Yaounde

Minister of Higher Education, Fame Ndongo

Anglophone students who sat the entrance exams into the Higher Teachers Training College, ENS Bertoua, have noted with bitterness the discriminatory treatment meted out on them with respect to admissions into the institution. The Higher Teachers Training College, ENS Bertoua, is affiliated to the University of Ngoundere.

                                The Anglophone students and their parents observed with disgust that of a total of 220 students admitted into cycle II of the institution for the 2018/2019 academic year, less than 6 Anglophone students were admitted, giving a percentage of about 2%.

                                The aggrieved parents and students remarked that by this lopsided and discriminatory admission policy, the minister of Higher Education has simply declared Anglophone students as personae non grata at ENS Bertoua.

                                Yet, the Anglophone students and parents at once noted that the same minister who denies admission to Anglophones, floods Francophone students in teachers training colleges and other recruitment colleges in English speaking Universities including notably ENS Bamenda, HTTTC Kumba, College of Medicine UB, College of Engineering, College Engineering UBa etc.

                                They noted that in ENSET Bambili for example, 53 Francophone students were admitted for a total intake of 211. What’s more, in the department of Mechanical Engineering at the ENSET, of the eight students taking the course, 5 are Francophones. This is idem for the department of mechanical design, while in the department of Mechanical Manufacturing there are seven Francophones out of the total eight students in the class.

                With this in view, the questions beg to be asked: 1) Are Anglophones unfit to study Engineering. 2) How come the same Anglophones who are considered unfit for engineering studies in their country emerge as some of the best students in far better and world class Universities in Europe and America?

                According to the list of admitted students into ENS Bertoua that was published by Minister Fame Ndongo, on 22 October 2018, one could observe for example that in the departments of Chemistry, Guidance Counseling, Spanish, German, Geography, History, Computer Science, ICT, Bilingual Letters, French Modern Letters, Mathematics, Physics, Philosophy, Science of Education and Environmental Sciences, not a single Anglophone student was admitted. The few Anglophones (less than six) whose names appeared in the list were admitted only in the department of English Modern Letters.

                Observers have noted that this rather lopsided distribution of places in recruitment schools is at variance with the much-heralded policies of balanced development, national integration and living together that the CPDM regime lays claim to.

                The victims of the discriminatory admission into ENS Bertoua have prepared petitions that they plan to send to the Prime Minister and the Head of State.