Primary and secondary school pupils across Cameroon resumed for the Third Term of the 2023–2024 school year on Monday, April 15, marking the beginning of the final segment of studies for this academic year.
However, the resumption of classes was not uniform across the country, as schools in the English-speaking North West and South West Regions remained closed.
Owing to a separatist-imposed Monday ghost town that has persisted since 2017, schools in the North West and South West might only resume tomorrow, Tuesday.
However, in most parts of the country, students returned to their respective schools to continue their academic pursuits after a two-week Easter break that began on Thursday, March 28.
The Third Term, known for its brevity, spans just seven to eight weeks, running from April 15 to May 31, 2024, for secondary schools, and until June 7 for primary schools.
As campuses across the country buzzed with the excitement of students reuniting for the final stretch of the academic year, cities like Buea and Bamenda, the administrative centres of the South West and North West Regions, presented a starkly different scene.
In these regions, only boarding schools witnessed any semblance of activity, as students were expected to return to campus on the eve of the resumption date, as per the Prime Ministerial decree on the calendar of activities for this school year.
The phenomenon of ghost towns, enforced by separatist groups since 2017 as a form of civil disobedience, continued to cast a shadow over education in the Anglophone Regions.
Mondays, in particular, have remained silent, with schools, businesses, and transportation activities coming to a standstill in adherence to the separatists’ call for a boycott.
Despite the challenges, there is cautious optimism that the Third Term will kick off in the Anglophone Regions tomorrow.
The term is expected to culminate in important examinations, including the First School Leaving Certificate examinations for Primary schools, scheduled from May 13 to July 26, and the GCE and TVE exams for secondary schools, scheduled for May 15 to July 26.
