A bursar from a Government High School (GHS) in the English-speaking region of Cameroon has voiced significant concerns regarding the directive that no government schools should operate. Speaking anonymously, the bursar highlighted several critical issues that this directive poses for the education system and the future of children in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions.
“The school fees charged by private schools are very high. Some of our parents cannot afford it. Saying NO to government schools simply means saying NO to education for some of our parents,” the bursar said.
Misconceptions About Government School Fees
The bursar also addressed misconceptions about the use of fees collected by government schools.
“The school fees paid to government schools are not used in Yaounde. The fee collected is used to run the school. They have the misconception that if they don’t attend government schools, they will see where the government will take the fees that are usually collected. That is wrong. I can show you how the fee is used. It is used all in running the school,” he told MMI.
Anglophone Education System
He further went on to highlight the distinctiveness of the Anglophone education system which is something that the people should be proud of.
“Anglophones have a separate system of education that is entirely in English. Their main examination board is the GCE Board. Nothing to worry about as far as education is concerned,” he said.
The bursar further praised the quality of government-trained teachers, many of whom had been in the profession long before the crisis began.
“The well-trained teachers who can teach our children very well are the government-trained teachers. Many of them were teachers before the advent of the crisis. In fact, it is because of teachers that Anglophones saw that there is a problem. I don’t see anything wrong with being a government teacher. Instead, we should allow them to teach our children,” he told MMI.
Addressing the dedication of teachers, the bursar remarked, “A teacher does not teach only his children. Most teachers even teach where they have no relative. They are teaching your children, the children of your relatives, not their children. They are burning themselves out just to see that your children and the children of your relatives see the light in the future. Are they wrong in doing that? It has become very difficult to move within the northwest region as a teacher.”
Impact of External Influences
The bursar also pointed out the detrimental impact of external influences on the education system. “Many people who are putting more fire on teachers to be kidnapped and killed have schools out of the region. What are we doing to ourselves? If you know how many millions are being sent to the other regions in terms of school fees, hmmm,” the bursar said.
The bursar concluded by emphasising the long-term consequences of the current situation on the future of children. “Please, if these points don’t mean anything to us, it’s still ok. It’s the future of our children. If we choose to make all of them Francophones by sending them to Francophone regions for studies, so be it,” he said.
This heartfelt plea from a dedicated bursar highlights the urgent need for a reconsideration of the current educational directives to ensure that all children have access to quality education, regardless of the ongoing crisis.
