Francophone Student Teachers to No Longer Practise in Anglophone Schools

Wilfred Tassang, Executive Secretary of CATT

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Cameroon Journal, Bamenda – Francophone student teachers of the Higher Technical Teachers Training College (HTTTC) and Higher Teachers Training College (HTTC) Bambili of the University of Bamenda, have been barred from doing teaching practice in schools of the English sub-system in the North West and South West Regions.

The decision was taken after some crisis meetings on December 31, 2015 and January 2, 2016 chaired by North West Governor, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique. Leaders of the Cameroon Teachers’ Trade Union (CATTU) and Teachers Association of Cameroon (TAC), Union of Parent-Teachers’ Association (UPTA), Civil Society Organisations and Anglophone lawyers had mounted pressure on the authorities of the University of Bamenda calling for a stop on Francophone student teachers practicing on Anglophone school campuses.

Wilfred Tassang, Executive Secretary of CATTU disclosed that Higher Education Minister, Jacques Fame Ndongo endorsed the decision stopping Francophone student teachers from practising in Anglophone schools during another meeting held in Yaounde on January 4.

The decision came after the threat by the civil society groups announcing a strike action aimed at paralyzing the second term of the school year should their request not be granted. They also called for the withdrawal and redeployment of Francophone teachers posted to teach Anglophone subjects other than French language and Anglophone teachers posted to teach Francophone subjects other than English language.

“After about eight hours of wrangling, it was resolved that HTTTC and HTTC Bambili would put a pause on the teaching practice, withdraw the teachers already posted to some schools, sort out the Francophone teachers and cause them to practise on Francophone children in and out of the North West Region,” The Post bi-weekly newspaper quoted Tassang as saying.

He reiterated that the 1998 law on the orientation of national education states that there are two sub-systems- the English and the French. “And the first differentiation in the two sub-systems is the language of instruction,” he added.

The teachers’ trade unions and the Minister of Secondary Education, Tassang said, on the other hand, agreed that the deployment of teachers be examined.

“There was also a special appeal we tabled that Anglophone Cameroonians of North West and South West extraction be given an opportunity in a special recruitment exercise to enter HTTC Bambili as well as HTTTC of Bambili and Kumba in large numbers to make up for what we call 50 years of neglect of training Anglophone teachers.”