Prime Minister Philemon Yang
A new Anglophone pressure group, Cameroon Education Forum, CEF, has tabled a strongly worded memorandum to President Paul Biya, through the Prime Minister, for a more efficient and effective Anglo cultural sub-system of education.
A press release dated February 10, which accompanied the memorandum, sent to our newsroom, states that the memorandum was “ignited by the fact that, in spite of the plethora of memos and petitions that have been addressed to the government by various Anglophone individuals and organizations over the years, including the memorandum submitted by Anglophone members of parliament at the end of 2011, the government has never bothered to respond.”
CEF, comprising mostly of Anglophone teachers and legal minded Cameroonians made up of seasoned educationists, consultants, professional in various fields, opinion leaders as well as registered organizations in the likes of Teachers Association of Cameroon, TAC, Cameroon Teachers Trade Union, CATTU, Association of Retired Educationists of Cameroon, AREC, People Earth Wise, PEW, amongst others, considers that provisions of the 1998 education law have since its enactment been either consistently violated, neglected or only partly and partially implemented, to the detriment of the Anglophone sub-system of education. They suspected bad faith on the part of the Yaounde regime.
The members of the pressure group are aggrieved by the non-inclusion of Anglophones in administrative decision making positions. They cited the case where since the inception of the post of inspector general of services in the various education ministries, no Anglophone has held that post. Also, only one Anglophone has held the post of director of secondary education since 1961.
“No Anglophone has ever been minister of (national) education since 1961…Since 1972, only one Anglophone has held the post of director of primary, nursery and teacher education, appointed in 2013,” CEF officials stated amongst a plethora of grievances.
Against this backdrop, the pressure group wants two separate education councils to be created to reflect the bi-cultural reality of Cameroon. “ Separate councils would enable syllabus revision and updating, research and curricula development, the building of relevant educational structures and processes; these and others would be studied by persons belonging to, and versed with each particular sub-system,” CEF advanced. In addition, they advocate the creation of an English TV and Radio media channel for the English sub-cultural system as a corollary to the councils.
Also, the Anglophone educationists want an immediate end to aggravated inequality. They are calling on government to enact legislation that allows the inclusion of Anglophones, the minority group in the bi-cultural system.
In the 21-point memorandum, the concerned Anglophone teachers also insist certificates for Anglophone graduates from teacher training colleges should be issued in English, in respect of the education law which prescribes in sub-section 2 of section 15 that “the specific method of evaluation and certificate of each sub-system shall be preserved.”
On the issue of the Common law university syllabuses, CEF maintained that the ministry of higher education should abort arbitrary plans to dismantle the Common law system in the Anglophone sub-system of education.
The recent memorandum is coming on the heels of numerous moves by different groups towards an end to the marginalisation of Anglophones on all spheres of national life.
The memorandum was drafted amongst others by Azong Wara Andrew, Hon. Dr. Ayuk Arrey Peter, Hon. Tasi Ntang Lucas, Ntoko Ntube Wilfred, Atemnkeng Peter, Tassang Wilfred, Mbong Johannes Ngole, Shey Benjamin Serkfem, Ndifor Ferdinand, Nsoh Lawrence, Ekangaki Agbor, Ngan Sylvester, amongst others.
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