Commissioner summons 18 teachers who advocated for better working conditions

18 teachers have been summoned to the Ayos Police Station in the Centre Region of Cameroon over “absence from their duty posts.”

The 18 teachers were asked to present themselves at the Police Station on Friday, September 8, 2023.

Joseph Nanpigui, who is Commissioner of the Ayos Police Station, said the teachers have been summoned following instructions from the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) of Nyong-et-Mfoumou Division.

They are: Abada, Kelong, Njuma, Ebogo, Nyemeck, Ndjara, Mbia, Many, Messina, Trodak, Mawe, Nwame, Nguini, Koagne, Mengang, Joken, Mbeck, and Kenkack.

In an address to education delegates on September 4, the SDO, François Etapa, said some civil servants “continue to stay away from work for days, weeks, even months.”

Mr. Etapa added that the teachers do so with the complicity of their superiors.

He then issued a stern warning that “any worker or manager absent from their duty post will have to appear before the disciplinary board and be sanctioned.”

The warning went into effect on September 1st, 2023, on the eve of school resumption in Cameroon.

Punishment for speaking up?

Many have said the move by authorities is a strategy to silence teachers who have been speaking up against injustice. For several months now, teachers have grouped themselves under the banner of ‘On a Trop Supporté’ (OTS) loosely translated in English as “Enough Is Enough.”

OTS is a movement fighting for the wellbeing of teachers in Cameroon.

In 2022, the government reportedly fought tooth and nail to divide and crush the movement. But its founders have stood their ground, prioritising the needs of teachers and actors in the education sector.

Several teachers were also sanctioned for advocating for better pay and working conditions.

Amina Hilda contributed to this report.