Staff and students of Queen of the Rosary college Okoyong, the first girls school in Cameroon, met and reflected on the progress of their school, a year after an arson attack which many thought would lead to the closing of the school.

The ceremony which took place on February 12, started with a thanksgiving mass in the college chapel and was presided over by the school chaplain.

After mass, the staff, students and guests gathered in the Rosary Hall where activities such as singing, dancing and drama took place. The event was also marked by the sharing of food and drinks.

Speaking during the event, the Principal, Rev. Sr Rosemary Arrah, said that the occasion was to thank God Almighty for keeping the students safe and to also thank the staff and parents for their continuous support in ensuring that the school keeps growing despite all odds.

Created in 1956 in Okoyong, a small village four miles away from Mamfe in Manyu Division, Queen of the Rosary College has been home to many young girls and women who travel from far and wide in pursuit of formal education.

The college started experiencing a decline in enrollment at the start of the armed conflict with the rise in insecurity in the area, just after celebrating its sixtieth anniversary.

It should be recalled that, on the night of February 10, 2022, unknown gunmen attacked the campus and set two dormitories ablaze. This caused fear and panic amongst students and parents, who did not hesitate to rush and check on their children after getting the news.

To the surprise of many, their enrollment doubled the following academic year despite the incident which had occurred.

The event was, indeed, colourful as students from the four different houses were seen with their brightly coloured uniforms.

By Cecilia Manjang

Cameroon’s Minister of Secondary Education, Prof Pauline Nalova Lyonga, has announced a ban on corporal punishment in schools following a recent incident where a teacher was caught on video flogging students.

Despite being illegal, corporal punishment is still widespread in some schools, with more than 50% of children from state schools reporting that they have received such punishment.

Flogging is one of the most common forms of punishment given to students, often for minor errors, which has led many children to abandon school. Other forms of punishment in schools include forcing students to stand in various positions for extended periods or publicly flogging them, an act that the Minister of Secondary Education has condemned.

The minister insists that any teacher who wants to sanction a student in school must do so in strict compliance with the terms of article V of the 1998 law of the country, which prescribes the respect of the child’s dignity.

Schools caught inflicting pain on students will be severely sanctioned, and any teacher caught punishing a student will also face serious consequences.

The decision to ban corporal punishment in schools is a positive step towards creating a safe and positive learning environment for all students. It is essential that the government and school authorities ensure that the ban is enforced, and alternative measures are taken to maintain discipline while respecting the rights and dignity of the children.

Source: MandyNews

On an inspection visit to the campus of Leaders World University (LWU) in Kumba this February 8, 2023, Professor Chief Nol Alembong, Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Buea (UB) its potential mentor, praised the initiative and said the nascent varsity comes as a blessing to Kumba.

“[Leaders World University] is most welcome as Kumba has been without a university,” said Alembong to reporters at the end of the visit.

He was on an infrastructure inspection mission on behalf of the Ministry of Higher Education, the authorizing ministry.

Alembong was accompanied by senior officials of UB from faculties and schools with competence over academic programmes offered by LWU. The UB inspection team was received by senior officials of LWU, including its Provost, Dr Theophilus Mukete, who presented the programmes LWU is offering: Medical and Biomedical Sciences, Computer Engineering, Agriculture and Food Sciences and Business. Finance and Management for a start.

UB’s Alembong (right) speaking to LWU’s Mukete (left, in suit)

Mukete said LWU will engage in food transformation to respond to the food needs of Cameroonians abroad. He later gave the visiting UB officials a tour of LWU infrastructure including a demonstration ward for the medical and biomedical programmes, structures for medical and agriculture laboratories, land for an agriculture demonstration farm and the computer laboratory.

The inspection team said they will submit their report to the minister of state and subsequently come again for an academic inspection.

LWU is the initiative of US-based Dr Ralph Ayuk, its President, CEO, Chancellor and Chairman of its Board of Governors.

Its topnotch staff include Professor Cornelius Lambi (former UB VC) as its Pro-Chancellor, Professor Gilbert Eyabi as Vice Chancellor and Mrs Susan Etchu as Deputy VC in charge of Teaching, Professional Development and Student Life.

By Franklin Sone Bayen

A US publishing house has released a book I NEED ACCESS TO MY CHILDREN: A father’s guide to regaining access to his children after a separation.

The book is described as a frank and thoughtful key to understanding how dads can get access to their kids after a divorce.

Born in Cameroon, Dr Michael Bisong a former football player and Indomitable Lions of Cameroon hero is also the CEO of Bisong Foundation.

Here’s the full synopsis from the publishers:

Help! I need access to my children

Did you know that according to the National Center for Fathering, about 24.7million children (33%) live in the absence of their biological father? This is challenging for many fathers, as building a family is the most fulfilling experience for most men. It is almost impossible for a man to think of what happens if they denied him access to his children.

For most men, accessing their children after a separation is often a challenge. This often leads to desperation that may even aggravate situations. Across the world today, many men are on the verge of losing access to their children because of one reason or the other. I have been there, and I was also opportune to regain access to my children.

The strategies shared in this book have helped many other fathers regain access to their children after a separation. It gives a step-by-step guide that will help you do the right thing and provide adequate support to your child throughout their development.

Don’t waste another moment of investing your money and effort in the wrong direction. The solution you need is in this book.

On Friday, January 13, Peace Corps celebrated 60 years of service in Cameroon in a ceremony at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé with the U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon Christopher J. Lamora, and the Peace Corps Country Director Kristina Nicole Séne.  As part of the 60th anniversary commemoration, the Ministers of Public Service and Administrative Reform Joseph Le, Secondary Education Pauline Nalova Lyonga, and the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of relations with Commonwealth Felix Mbayu launched a photograph exhibition of Peace Corps’ 60 years of partnership with the Government of Cameroon.

The event also marked the return of Volunteers to Cameroon after nearly two and a half years of absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Ambassador Lamora administered the oath of service to nine new Peace Corps Volunteers, stating that “Peace Corps embodies the best of America:  Service to others in the pursuit of peace and development.  The work you do is so very important and demonstrates the ongoing spirit of cooperation between the Cameroonian and American peoples.”  Since arriving in late October, the new volunteers have attended an intensive eleven-week cultural, language, and vocational training before being sworn in. Volunteers will work in health centers and with agricultural groups in the Center, Littoral, and South regions of Cameroon.

Distributed by APO Group

Waste disposal is a massive problem in Cameroon and this issue is gradually making its way into the University of Buea.

While the University of Buea authorities are doing their utmost to keep the university clean, those doing business around the university are not helping university authorities in their efforts.

Some of the suspects who are not playing by university cleanliness rules are some documentation business operators who dispose of wastes in an open space in the university of Buea campus because of the unavailability of trash cans.

Garbage, mostly paper and plastic, continues to accumulate around the UB campus, making the area a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a sore eye to students and visitors.

It has become a huge discomfort to many students who go there for the services of these business owners. Some students visiting the business locations reported that they had been bitten by mosquitoes when they went there to either print or photocopy their documents.

The University of Buea, which is a citadel of learning in Cameroon, is supposed to be a sight for sore eyes and an example to other institutions in country, but the irresponsible acts by people who do not care about the environment and human health are robbing the University of its Status as the beacon of hope and responsibility.

If due to financial constraints the university cannot provide these business operators with garbage bins, the university can oblige them to dispose of their garbage in the best possible way to spare the university the embarrassment it is being exposed to.

Keeping the university clean is a shared responsibility and students and those who operate businesses on and around the campus should pull their fair share of the weight when it comes to keeping the university clean.

A clean environment speaks well    of a university and it is incumbent upon the university community to make UB the real place to be.

By Cecilia Manjang

The leadership of the Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC) is soliciting funds to assist students affected by the protracted crisis in the English-speaking regions of the Central African nation.

In a statement issued Monday, December 5, the Vice Chancellor of CATUC says, “Two years ago, cases of students whose parents’ fortunes had changed drastically as a result of the Anglophone Crisis came to our notice.”

“Some parents had lost everything-businesses, farms, homes, cows, etc. – and were unable to pay tuition fees for the children who were already enrolled in the university,” Fr. Joseph Awoh Jum says.

Fr. Awoh notes that a “good number of students, including students of the Medical School, were going to drop out as a result.”

“Our immediate reaction was to appeal to people whom we knew – our friends, family, colleagues, alumni, former schoolmates, and students – for assistance,” the Vice Chancellor of the Catholic institution based in Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese says.

He notes that a few of the donors “responded to our appeal and gave us donations which kept these students in school, for some time.”

In addition, Fr. Awoh says, “The Archbishop of Bamenda provided school fee loans to four of our medical students who were threatened with dropping out so that they could complete their training, work in Archdiocesan health institutions and eventually pay back these loans.”

“These students and their families are extremely grateful to all those who contributed to keep them in school and keep their dreams alive,” the Vice Chancellor says.

However, Fr. Awoh says, “Those of them in the middle of their medical training still have a long way to go and would appreciate whatever assistance they can get to take them to the finish line.”

“In these difficult times, the university and her proprietors can only offer so much assistance and are working towards the establishment of an endowment fund to cater for such cases in the future,” he adds.

The Cameroonian Catholic Priest goes on to appeal for aid, saying, “We would greatly appreciate whatever assistance anyone would like to offer to keep these unfortunate students’ dreams alive and to assist families rendered desperate by the Anglophone Crisis.”

“Please, give this appeal a thought and, if your heart tells you to contribute your widow’s mite to this noble cause, contact us at info@catuc.org for guidance on how you can do this,” he says.

He continues in his December 5 statement, “We thank you in anticipation of your kind help and pray for God’s abundant blessings on you and your people.”

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed movement of separatists claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters.

School boycotts have become common in these areas, as have enforced moratoriums on public life known as “ghost towns”.

On August 21, members of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC) lamented the protracted conflict in the country’s Anglophone regions, that has been characterized by “the piteous and distressing cries of anguish”.

The Catholic Church leaders at the helm of Bamenda Archdiocese and the Dioceses of Kumbo, Kumba, Mamfe, and Buea Dioceses underscored the need to respect the dignity of the human person created in God’s image and likeness and the sacredness and inviolability of human life.

Source: aciAfrica

Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Cameroonian Civil War, has been raging between the country’s government and Anglophone separatist parties in the north- and southwest since 2016. The separatist parties have been accused of kidnapping and attacking innocents, but the nation’s administration has also been heavily criticized, accused of human rights violations including torture and extrajudicial murder as well as employing disproportionate force against protestors and failing to adequately address the Anglophone minority’s concerns. There has been little progress in settling the war, which has displaced over 700,000 people and resulted in more than 2,000 deaths. Away from the front line, children, especially girls, are also among the casualties of this war.

The war has “wreaked havoc on the education of Cameroonian children,” UNICEF asserts. The English-speaking regions of Cameroon once had the best education in the country, the organization says, but now face “a permanent policy of non-schooling put in place by non-state armed groups.” Due to pressure from Anglophone civil society, certain separatist groups formally called off the school boycott in 2020, but attacks on schools continue unabated; “Children have been forced to evacuate their homes and several schools have been shut down,” UNICEF says, and those that stay open are frequently decrepit or overcrowded. Many teachers have “been compelled to leave the nation” and departed without being replaced. “This has left youngsters with little educational opportunities.”

Girls have been particularly negatively affected. Parents whose wages have decreased choose to send their sons to school while keeping their daughters at home to assist with chores or small trades. Families who can afford it are currently sending their children to schools in Cameroon’s Francophone regions, but others have simply fled, leaving their daughters to fend for themselves in the Anglophone sectors: unschooled and susceptible to recruitment for prostitution.

This lack of access to high-quality education exacerbates the already serious issues plaguing Cameroon’s Anglophone communities. Demonstrations by Anglophone attorneys and educators regarding the marginalization of the country’s English-speaking population were the initial tinderbox for the conflict in 2016. The separatist militias were only established after the Cameroonian military repressed demonstrators, turning peaceful protest into violent confrontation.

Instead of boycotting schools or threatening to close down voluntary learning centers, the parties in Cameroon’s conflict should utilize the beginning of the school year to alleviate children’s suffering in the Anglophone areas and develop trust with the local community. Separatist activists in Cameroon and elsewhere should cease all school boycotts immediately. If they do so, the Yaoundé administration should recognize the gesture as a de-escalation step. By keeping classrooms accessible and students safe, government and separatist leaders might offer a rare opportunity for dialogue and a lasting cease-fire.

In addition to increasing its assistance for the education system in Cameroon, the international community should assist the Cameroonian government in paying teachers’ salaries, renovating schools, and supplying educational materials. For such assistance to be sustainable, it must be needs-based, impartial, and inclusive of all Cameroonian areas and educational institutions.

The Anglophone Crisis is harming the futures of children who have not even begun to live. The conflict has had a severe impact on the education system as a whole, and both Cameroon and the world must take action. International allies dedicated to resolving the Anglophone crisis should promptly remind all parties of their responsibilities to protect civilians and safeguard children’s right to education.

Culled from The Organization for world peace

Members of the 1985 batch of the Roman Catholic Mission (RCM) Mamfe who pride themselves as being the children of Mrs. Getrude Jingwa, Late Pa Ojong, late Mr Nkeze, Mr Abang Vitalis, Mrs. Bridget Agbaw-Ebai, late Mr Peter Okafor, late Pa Ojongfong, late Teacher Orock Café and the tough disciplinarian the late Arrey Michael who was their headmaster met recently in Enugu, Nigeria as depicted in the picture below. From left to right,

(Police officer)ASP Okereke Roseline Ekemma of the  Rivers Police Headquarters in Rivers State, Ayim Christopher Tanye of  Enugu state, Kalu Anthonia Chibuzor of Umuahia Abia state, Okoye Cordelia Chinasa Jemeni from Lagos, Prophetess Okafor Eugenia Nkolika Uchendu of Onitsha in Anambra state and Pastor Acholam James Ekpo Eze ( Amoros) of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State.

The Class of 85 Nigeria Chapter used the opportunity to thank their brothers and sisters, those on ground Zero (Cameroon) and those in the Diaspora for making the reunion a remarkable one.

Members are also looking forward to other reunions which should result in fundraising efforts for their beloved Alma Mater.

They urged those who are not yet part of the reunion effort to join and to make meaningful contributions towards the development of the group which reminds them of their childhood days in Mamfe.

Members of the group promised to keep in touch and to keep the flame burning.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai (Class of 85)