A powerful wind struck Government Primary School (GPS) Group 2 in Nkambe, Donga Mantung Division on Sunday, June 8, causing massive destruction just two days before pupils sit for the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) examination.
The windstorm, described by locals as unprecedented in the area’s history, tore through the school campus late Sunday afternoon, destroying six blocks of classrooms and offices, and leaving debris scattered across the premises.
“The winds were so strong and violent, I saw it tearing off the roof of the buildings of the school. We have never witnessed such,” said a resident of Nkambe.
The school was one of the hosting centers of this year’s FSLC exams for several primary schools in the area. The whirlwind has already cast a shadow over the exams that will kick off on Tuesday, June 10.
In response to the disaster, Nkambe’s Mayor Musa Shey Nfor and other local authorities visited the site of the incident on Sunday to evaluate the damage and take necessary measures.
“The six blocks of classroom were already set to welcome about 312 pupils for the First School Leaving Certificate Examination. This is unfortunate,” said Mayor Musa Shey.
The Donga Mantung Divisional Delegate for Basic Education echoed the urgency of finding another suitable venue for Tuesday’s exams.
He said arrangements are being made, in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic Education, to ensure that the FSLC exams proceed as scheduled without disruption.
“This is something we have never seen in Nkambe. The wind was so strong,” said Njeng Chrysantus Tangem, the Divisional Delegate of Basic education.
“We are lucky it did not happen on a school day but we are taking measures to relocate the examination center and also prepare it so that it doesn’t affect the examination,” he added.
Local residents and parents have expressed the need for urgent support in restoring the school’s infrastructure and ensuring the safety and academic continuity of the affected pupils.
This rare weather phenomenon has raised fresh concerns about climate change and disaster preparedness in Cameroon’s highland regions, where such extreme weather events are historically uncommon but often predicted in reports by the National Observatory on Climate Change.
