Lukewarm Attitude In Rural Areas!

While most teachers brave fear to go to school, some parents and children drag their feet with others even yielding to the misleading calls of secessionist’s January 8 schools reopening.

The situation of schools in most, if not all, rural areas of the South West Region is, to say the least, preoccupying. The ghost that haunted most schools in the English-speaking parts of the country owing to socio-political crisis in the areas, is far from losing its grip in South West villages.

Some schools are completely abandoned to a few teaching and administrative staff - mostly those on government’s payroll; who can overcome the fear of the unknown. Even a few others that manage to open their doors are disturbingly scanty.

In Manyu, Fako and Lebialem Divisions where Cameroon Tribune visited last week, the situation is mindboggling. In Bafia-Muyuka for example, the reign of terror that one infamous “General” Armstrong inflicted on the population has left far-reaching consequences on schools enrolment.

Molesting teachers who attempted to go to school; which was one of the modus operandi of the lawbreakers, worsened the already bad situation, forcing many who nursed hopes of going to school to almost wholly chicken out.

According to a youngster, Teghen Landry, Form Three Student in Muyuka who has not gone to school for over a year, “They tell us there is a strike and we are not supposed to go to school. I was forced to leave Muyuka where I go to school to in order to sell puff puff in Bafia.” Even as he and his peers strive to keep themselves busy, they pray for normalcy to return. 

“I want to go back to school. People keep telling us that we will be killed if we go to school. The security officers are helping to guard schools but we are still afraid to go and sit in class because we can be brutalised,” the youngster, in tears, told Cameroon Tribune in Bafia-Muyuka last week.

In Ewelle village of the separatist leader, Sissiko Ayuk Tabe, there is almost total blackout.  Mary Mbi Tata, Head Teacher of Government School Ewelle, Eyumojock Sub division told Cameroon Tribune that, “For two weeks now, we...