By Shey Godbless
Back to school campaign in Tubah Sub Division are taking different dimensions with all stake holders vowing to do everything possible for schools to effectively resume come September 2022. In a meeting this Wednesday August 17th 2022 convened by the Divisional Officer for Tubah Sub division, Mr. Massango Metougue Narcisse that brought together sector heads of the Sub Division, they all agreed and promised to ensure a smooth take off this year.
While announcing that the Member of Parliament for Tubah Honorable Atogho Oliver had promised to sponsor the first five children who will register in any all the Primary and Secondary Schools that will open this academic year, the Divisional Officer revealed his administration was launching a rigorous fight against Lay Private Schools operating in the Sub Division under the canopy of Community Schools.
The Civil Administrator questioned why those schools were flourishing at the detriment of public schools and at times functioning in the same quarter or close to the public schools. He frowned at civil servants who earn from State coffers and are proprietors of such schools thus earning double salaries.
Presenting their readiness to kick-start this September all stake holders said they were engaged in cleaning of school yards, sensitization campaigns to the different corners of the Sub Division. The different sector heads present used the occasion to present a plethora of barriers to effective resumption. Amongst the many, security concerns, the dilapidated nature of most of the school buildings, vandalized structures, the absence of school children who had migrated to safer zones and the lack of cooperation in the education sector in Tubah Sub division stood out tall.
His Royal Highness Fon Angafor III of Bambui revealed that they as a community were bent on ensuring the effective start of the academic year in his Fondom. He stated:
“The Population of Bambui really came out to do the cleaning of the school yards. They started it, but have not finished it yet. We hope to start the work again this new week. Before schools reopen, the population is ready to clean up the school campuses. Everybody is excited. We are hoping that by God’s grace things will move on well.”
On his part, His Royal Majesty Fon AFUNGCHWI III of Bambili while expressing concerns over the future of children who have been at home for the past five years declared that he and his quarter heads had defied all odds since 2021 to have schools functioning.
“Schools must go in Bambili. We declared a whole day as public holiday in the village. Everybody in the village did not go to the farm. We moved from school to school beginning from Primary to secondary Schools. We toured round and supervised the cleaning of the schools. That was a major take off of education in Bambili,” he quipped.
“We entered meeting houses and churches. In addition meetings were held in the palace where parents were invited. Irrespective of threats, the children must go back to school. Last year, I scored about 60 percent where all these schools went operational. We did not discriminate. We cleaned even Lay private schools. Our emphasis were to fight poverty, let the public schools go operational.” he added
According to the Royal leader of Bambili, they took all the risks. “Fear is the work of the devil. When you carry fear, things will not move. We take risk not that you will hear there is fire somewhere and you go and put yourself in it.”
To add to the promise of the Honorable member of Parliament, the Divisional Officer announced that the Mayor of Tubah council was promising that the minimum package ready only for schools that were going to reopen this September.
Mr. Massango Metougue Narcisse equally promised that to ascertain the real situation and effective participation of teachers he was to visit those schools that will announce their effective take off when schools reopen.