By Bakah Derick
Blogger@hilltopvoices
The People of Mbelem host of one of the Many Catholic Primary
Schools in Nkwen-Bamenda III Subdivision have for some time now been raising
concerns over the possible closure of their school; St. Augustine Catholic
School Mbelem-Nkwen. This follows a circular letter by the Archbishop of
Bamenda His Grace Cornelius Fontem Essua announcing a possible closure of
Catholic Schools in his Archdiocese should they fail to get an enrolment of
more than 100 pupils. The Archbishop who happens to be proprietor of all
Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese indicates that the Churches education
agency will not be able to take care of teachers in such schools should the registration
go below 100. Even with 100, the Bishop says the Church will have to do a lot
of subvention to manage the schools concern as she has done before.
 |
| St Augustine Catholic School Mbelem |
This message has not been taken
lightly in Mbelem and other parts of the Archdiocese. Sunday September 6, 2015,
Rev Fr Romeo Ngemteu at the close of the Sunday Mass took of time beckon on
parents to register their children in their Mbelem School. According to Fr
Romeo it will “be a shame if the school of a lively people like Mbelem is
closed.” The Priest however told the Christians that he cannot do anything if
the enrollment is less.
Speaking a forth night ago Rev Fr
Kegem Marcel in the same Church expressed the same worry and told Christians
that as the Manager of Schools in St Michaels’ parish under which is St
Augustine Catholic School is, he is compelled by his vows (possibly of
obedience to the Bishop) at ordination to tell the Archbishop to close the
school should the enrollment target not be met.
The Head teacher of the School and
her teacher collaborators have been restless with an unprecedented campaign
uncommon to Catholic Schools to get many more pupils register into the school
in a bid to keep at bay the decision of their proprietor.
While some of the quarter dwellers who
spoke to hilltopvoices on why they are not sending their children to the said
school say their children are big and no longer at primary level, others say
they prefer to send their kids to private schools because according to them pay
more attention to their kids. Fr Marcel however agues the claim saying that in
the Parish where he is School manager, kids are fed in school and given a lot
of advantages.
Some people in the community have
blamed the lack of pupils in the school to growing competition as to who sends
the child to the most expensive school. Despite the school’s high school at the
First School leaving and Common Entrance Certificate examinations, many are
seemingly not still moved.
After ending with just 97 pupils
during the 2014/2015 school year the fear of being closed is high as only a
handful of names have been registered. Reports from Kumbo Diocese say the
situation is the same as lots of schools risked being closed.