Lockdown Forces Empty Classrooms in Bamenda as New School Year Begins

Silence filled the streets of Bamenda, headquarters of the North West Region, as classes reopened in Cameroon on Monday, September 8, for the 2025/2026 academic year.

A lockdown, reportedly ordered by separatist leader Julius Nyih, has forced families to flee their homes, dashing any hopes of a return to learning within the first weeks of school resumption.

The region’s future hangs in the balance. While a privileged few students, mainly those attending boarding schools, are able to resume their studies, the majority of schools remain deserted, indicating the impact of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, now in its ninth year, and the challenges it poses to education.

This lockdown has effectively shuttered schools and businesses across the region, further complicating the start of the school year.

As a result, a mass movement of families has been triggered, with people seeking refuge in the relatively safer cities of Douala, Yaounde, and Bafoussam.

This displacement follows years of escalating conflict between separatist groups and government forces in the North West and South West Regions, creating an atmosphere of pervasive instability and uncertainty.

The disruption to education is immense. Thousands of children are being forced to abandon their studies, putting their hopes for a brighter future on hold.

For those who manage to reach the Francophone regions, the daunting challenge of adapting to a new language and curriculum further compounds the trauma and hardship they have already endured.

The “ghost town” frequently employed by separatist groups is purportedly aimed at mounting pressure on the government and disrupting economic activity.

However, this strategy has a devastating impact on the civilian population, inflicting suffering and creating a climate of fear and despair.

The lockdown’s severe impact on school attendance has only deepened the existing problems within the education system, pushing it closer to the brink.

Nine years of crisis have fueled deep grievances through displacement and disrupted education.

Without swift action to address the root causes of this crisis, experts warn that the long-term consequences could severely impact the region’s stability, prosperity, and the very fabric of its society, jeopardizing the future of an entire generation.