Ngoketunjia:
Minister Nalova Lyonga plays Pontius Pilate over suspension of teachers’ salaries

Cameroon’s Minister of Secondary Education, Prof Nalova Lyonga has dissociated herself and the ministry under her command from the decision to suspend the salaries of teachers serving in Ngokentunjia division of the restive North West region of the country.

In a press release issued Wednesday, Secondary Education Minister said the suspension of salaries was done by the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO for Ngokentunjia, Quetong Anderson.
Minister Nalova cited prefectoral orders No.001/PO/E.31/2001 of 24 February 2021 and No.100/PO/E.31/2021 of July 7, 2021. In these orders, the SDO had warned teachers in the Ngoketunjia division to return to the classrooms.

The orders later resulted in the suspension of the salaries of some teachers serving in the restive division.The Press Release from the Secondary Education minister dissociating her ministry from the suspension has sent tongues wagging as to how salaries of personnel in a ministry can be suspended without her knowledge.

However, the minister reassured those whose salaries have been suspended that investigations are underway to shed light on the issue.

Some of the teachers whose salaries have been suspended are no cursing the SDO whom they describe as an overzealousness of administrator.

They said, the SDO is working in complicity with some politicians who by all cost want them to return to empty classrooms amid a worsening armed conflict.