Back-to-school In NW/SW: Attendance Rate Improves

W ithin the frame­ work of ensuring that education is well coordinated and harmonious nationwide, with no region being left be­ hind, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute yesterday September 17, 2026 chaired a meeting, evaluating the security si­ tuation in the North West and South West Regions. The Prime Minister was firm on the fact that school is very important for the two restive regions, with no reason to compromise the future of youths who are the primary victims. Imposed ghost towns, he said, have consequences on the economy, something the government is combat­ ting. The Governors of the two re­ gions presented the general situation of their respective regions. For the North West Region, the Governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique said the security situation is ge­ neral under control with se­ curity agents having been deployed to enhance the sa­ fety within educational es­ tablishments. Since the re­ sumption of schools, he said incidences have been recor­ ded in Wum where a Police Commissioner was killed, some people kidnapped and later released, in Bamenda were seven persons were at­ tacked and three killed, in Bui and Benakuma. On at­ tendance, he said some 53,000 pupils have been re­ gistered in the basic educa­ tion sector and 26,000 in se­ condary education. The Donga Mantung and Mezam Division, the administrator said, are topping the chart with over 60 per cent atten­ dance rate. Some of the chal­ lenges faced, he explained, include the deficit of teachers in schools and the use of cars without traceable num­ ber plates. For the South West, Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai, the heads of the various admi­ nistrative units are carrying out their respective activities. He said, as at September 15, 2026, official statistics indi­ cate that about 68,000 stu­ dents have effectively resu­ med in both public and private schools. He added that 300 of the 400 schools in the re­ gion are already functional. For...