CI-NEWS

NW Governor engages stakeholders in back-to-school campaign.

2019-07-23

No: 437

NW Governor engages stakeholders in back-to-school campaign:

By Etoh Anzah George in Bamenda:

PTA presidents, principals, head teachers, and proprietors of schools) were part of a concertation and deliberation meeting at the MINEPAT conference hall Upstation Bamenda to champion the course of the educational river which for 3 years has been flowing to a seemingly dwindling direction.

Speaking at the ceremony, the SG at the NW Governor’s Office, Harry Lanyuy, urged the participants to be agents of change and back-to-school preachers and not the other way round. He said "there is no time for the blame game. In human endeavour you strive to be better than yesterday and not otherwise. The clock is ticking and it is our endeavour to better a land that has always been the educational hub of the nation".

While presenting the government’s determination to see an effective back-to- school campaign, Mr Harry Lanyuy further lamented on the state of some state-run schools that have been shut down because of the crisis and worse still state-recruited teachers who, under the pretext of the crisis, have absented themselves from their respective schools."In this light we have set up a task force and before now more than 55 teachers’ salaries have been suspended. In the days ahead, we intend to do a thorough follow-up of these unscrupulous teachers through this task force and we shall instil a sanction mechanism for these teachers who have created a comfort zone for themselves.”

Coming at a time when many of such teachers have flown abroad in search of so-called greener pastures, he said “the worst form of slavery is alienation and as such let them return home and join us in the ongoing nation building campaign.” To him, all these can only be achieved if they on the ground speak the language that can lead to school resumption and above all there are moves to ensure a meaningful degree of security that will not scare but encourage the children in their quest for knowledge.

Flanked by heads of other administrative units, the regional delegate for basic education lamented on the region’s stance relative to the educational sector. About 443 teachers have been displaced, 78 schools need rehabilitation, while 36 schools have been burnt down and vandalized by men yet to be identified. The same situation exists for the secondary sector with institutions shut and hopes almost dashed.

The teachers, for their part, took turns to proffer solutions to the crisis. Through the SG, they asked for a ceasefire and a demilitarisation of the warring zones, while others urged government to use councillors to reframe the mindsets of the youths in this venture.

Talking to the press at his office cabinet on the sidelines of the event, North West governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, further reiterated the call to all and sundry to engage in full gear in a bid to place a firm grip on the school tuber."They will have to neglect nothing and seize the opportunity to have the school resumption effective. We are going to stop at nothing in the security line to ensure that all returns to normal as we have progressively seen ".

"I therefore urge the teachers out of the region to return for us to actively take this frontline role", he further added.

Sounding optimistic about school return, Governor Adolphe Lele said civil society activists, government, traditional as well as religious authorities have all been mobilized to ensure an effective resumption come September 2019. Coming at a time when coordination meetings have been held in which sanctions were agreed to follow teachers whose pockets have constantly been fuelled by the state with no services rendered, Governor Lele said “we will see to it that those not working be sanctioned according to the laws and regulations in force. Quintessentially, I therefore urge the teachers to return to their various stations without which the disciplinary commission will have nothing but to act according to the backing in our hands and as stipulated by the adequate administrative regulations.

Cognizant of all this, it should be noted, separatist activists have in different factions clamoured for a school boycott while others have gone the obvious way. With many dying and a dozen more affected by the fear factor owing to a delay in the so much sung dialogue, there are therefore fears that the said appeals may yield no fruits.

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NW Governor engages stakeholders in back-to-school campaign.