Mbengwi Online : The Reality of School Resumption in Mbengwi

Classes have resumed in many schools in Mbengwi, chief town of Momo division in the N.W region of Cameroon for the 2021/2022 academic year. The divisional administration toured various educational establishments within Mbengwi central on Tuesday September 7 2021 to ascertain the level of resumption.

A very clean entrance and lawns welcomed the convoy to the campus of Government Bilingual High School (G.B.H.S) Mbengwi depicting its readiness. Just from the gate, a refurbished sign board planted by the roadside stood out clear to catch every eye that passed by, insinuating the old is gone, the new has come. In the classrooms, teachers and students had answered present for the effective commencement of the teaching and learning process.

Handwritten Admission Poster

Ngasoh William, Principal, G.B.H.S Mbengwi

Speaking to Mbengwi Online, Mr. Ngasoh William, the principal said "I am satisfied and it is promising. The students are very excited, they want to come back to school, they want to learn, why not give them a chance? You know, in this our age, the worst crime a parent can commit is to keep the child uneducated." He confirmed that about one hundred students filled the classrooms on the first day of resumption and the teachers too began teaching immediately. Talking about the boarding section of the school, he said "The boarding house is going to be fully functional and if I'm not mistaken, it's going to be very modest and the best as compared to any other boarding school we have around here."

At Blessed Fountain Nursery and Primary School Mile 17, hundreds of pupils and kindergartens showed up for day one of school resumption. Madam Foncham Beatrice, the proprietress confirmed everything was in order. At Christ the King Catholic Nursery and Primary School Mile 18, it was the same success story of effective resumption

Officials in a Classroom at Blessed Fountain Nursery and Primary School, Mile 17

Proprietress Briefing the Administration on Level of Resumption in Her School

Because of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis and to meet up with changing times since tough challenges require tough solutions, some mission and government schools have temporarily rescheduled the holding of classes in other structures within the central town of the municipality, away from the original school sites because of their remoteness and for the convenience sake of parents, pupils and teachers. Such has been the case with Saint Joseph's Catholic Comprehensive College that has moved from Gunefun, an outskirt locality in G.R.A towards Bessi Fomukong to the catholic mission premises, behind the Mbengwi District Hospital.

Before, it was a purely boarding school but now, it's been temporarily transformed into a purely day school and brought to the centre of the town to shorten the distance for students and teachers. As a call to parents and students still lagging behind, Fombo Alfred, the Vice Principal of the school said "I know there are some still hanging, waiting to hear information on whether or not Saint Joseph has started effectively. Let them know that lessons are going on and the teachers are in class. It's a great start for us."

Effective Classes Going on at S.J.C.C.C Mbengwi

Fombo Alfred, Vice Principal, Saint Joseph's Catholic Comprehensive College

At Government Practicing School (G.P.S) Group I & II in G.R.A, no single pupil showed up on this first day of resumption. Rather, hundreds of teachers drawn from the basic education family in the entire subdivision were the ones that rallied here to receive the Senior Divisional Officer and entourage. In addressing, them, the divisional boss told them that his interest isn't in sanctioning those who keep collecting state money as monthly salary yet do no work, but rather to encourage those that are doing their job considering that Momo division occupied the first position in First School Leaving Certificate results and second in Common Entrance examination results in the the entire region last academic year. He further indicted the teachers for not doing their best to have pupils on campus considering that all of them are parents, directly or indirectly. "This is our main school in Mbengwi town. So, we should have children receiving their education here." he insisted.

Before leaving from here to continue the tour, the teachers were notified that the eyes of the administration are on this particular school. Located not far away from his office, he promised to be paying surprise visits to the campus anytime he feels as to, to take stock of daily routines there with special attention on teachers not showing up for their lessons. From here, the convoy took a speedy ride to the campus of Palmers Bilingual Nursery and Primary School where lots of innovations had been done and classes went on smoothly. Not far from Palmers is SAR/SM, both located near the Mbengwi council building.

Hundreds of Basic Education Teachers at G.P.S Group I & II, G.R.A

Delegation on Tour

Government Rural Artisan and Home Economics Training Centre otherwise known as SAR/SM Mbengwi is today hosting all the technical colleges in the subdivision, a measure implored by the (educational) hierarchy of the division to overcome the challenge of inaccessibility of teachers and students to the hinterlands where these government school structures exist, said to be infested by non state armed fighters otherwise known as "Amba Boys" who have for long stood against the functioning of government schools. Students of Government Technical College (G.T.C) Tugi, Njah-Etu, Ngyen-Mbo, Zang Tabi and Government Technical High School (G.T.H.S) Mbengwi, whose site is in Njindom now have SAR/SM as temporal site for the holding of their classes. Some of these technical colleges (some secondary schools inclusive) have just a student, others two, three or four per class or as total enrolment for now and teachers have been asked to go on with their lessons irrespective of the number and to report on campus everyday they are supposed to teach, according to the time table even if there's no student.

Mbengwi Online noticed a disturbing situation that needs urgent redress on the campus of SAR/SM. In some classrooms, two separate classes go on simultaneously and not even a plywood is used to separate the students. They simply seat and back the other, each focusing on their teacher and blackboard to get the lesson being taught, a situation that is in no way apt for the teaching and learning process. Mr. Liwa Michael, the director of SAR/SM Mbengwi informed the visiting delegation that following the calendar of the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training under which the school falls, their own official resumption date is still ahead but to avoid the various technical colleges being hosted on their campus to "capture" their students, they've decided to also resume with classes immediately to consolidate their students.

Principals of Technical Colleges Updating the Visiting Delegation on the Situation of their Schools at SAR

Two Different Classes in Same Classroom, Students of One Class Back Those of the Other

The tour ended at Presbyterian High School (P.H.S) Mbengwi where there were also hundreds of students in class. At every stop, the S.D.O encouraged the teachers, students and pupils, giving them assurances that just as the last academic year successfully went on in the division hitch free, so too will this new one be and even better. He also insisted that the flag of Cameroon must be seen flying on every campus every school day, raised in the morning and brought down at closing time. He further took a commitment with examination class students that by the time end of course examination results like Common Entrance, GCE O/A Levels etc shall be published, nothing short of 100% should be the target.

Mr. Tangoh Humphrey is the Momo divisional delegate of secondary education. After having monitored the situation on the ground on day one, alongside his colleague of basic education, he gave his reaction to Mbengwi Online in the following words, "Unlike last year, it is quite encouraging and we think that the days ahead are going to be better. As at today, we had 523 students who answered present. Schools are effectively on and so we are encouraging each and everyone especially parents who thought that schools were not going to be functional in Mbengwi that they should shun fear and send the children. The teachers are ready and everything is set for us to give the children their much needed education." This figure, Mbengwi Online notes, is in no way a real reflection of the general situation in the entire subdivision on the first day of resumption but rather the total enrollment of just the schools visited. There were other functional schools in Mbengwi central and many in the various villages that make up the Meta clan that weren't visited but whose number can't be disregarded.

Tangoh Humphrey, Momo Divisional Delegate of Secondary Education

Palmers Bilingual Nursery and Primary School

And so, taking into consideration the rest of functional primary and nursery school in places like Munam, Nyen, Sang, Njindom, Wumnemburg, Wumnebit, Bome, Guneku, Mbemi, Tugi, Acha, Njah-Etu, Zang Tabi, Kai, Nyen, Fringyeng, Mbengeghang etc, Mbengwi Online estimates that about 1000 pupils and students were in school on the first day of resumption of classes for the 2021/2022 academic year. Talking about teachers who may want to continue playing hide and seek with the administration by showing up only on the day of resumption just to later disappear, abandoning the students to themselves, the divisional boss for secondary education said "We cannot afford not to teach the children and so all hands have to be put on deck without exception to make sure that the children are taught. So, for those teachers who think that they can play around and go away with it, I want to assure them that the time for play is over"

Operating in the context of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, causing some parents to still be very much concerned about the security of their children, Fouda Etaba Bernoit Nicaise, the Senior Divisional Officer for Momo division reaffirmed the commitment of the state to ensure everyone's security is guaranteed. Speaking to Mbengwi Online, he said "As I used to say, security is a collective effort. Parents are involved, teachers, traditional rulers, municipal authorities, everybody. We have a special security plan that's ongoing and I can assure all that measures which can't be unveiled have been taken." As a word to doubting Thomases still holding the view that schools will not function effectively in Mbengwi this year, he added that "After many preparatory meetings and sensitisation campaigns, we are still calling them to join the train, to catch up with other parents that are already committed, that have already sent their children to school and you can bear with me that these children are happy being in the classrooms."

Fouda Etaba Bernoit Nicaise, Senior Divisional Officer, Momo

G.B.H.S Mbengwi New Look

The situation of school resumption in Mbengwi this new academic year is thus very encouraging compared to last year. Some schools that remained shut since the crisis started have now reopened their doors. New schools have also seen the light of day as announcements are repeatedly being made in churches, online, on radio and posters for pupils and students to get enrolled. Mbengwi that used to be an academic hub is speedily regaining it's good old days. At press time, statistics on the level of resumption in the four other subdivisions, that is, Batibo, Widikum, Njikwa and Ngie were still being awaited. Until all the figures would've been combined, taking into consideration other schools that would've not been counted that the real situation of school resumption in the entire Momo division will be known.