Story Telling: Ghost Schools Breeding Sinecure Teachers

 Many teachers take to idling or private occupation once they mark their attendance sheets.

“We are supposed to be in school at 7.30am and close at 3pm daily even when less than 20 percent of our pupils are in school”, Mrs Ngassa, Head Teacher of Government Primary School Group One in Likoko Membea told this reporter who went investigating last Tuesday. Mr Mbue, a classroom teacher in Muea-Buea explained how he has been teaching two children since Monday. ”It is easier because I have less copies to mark but psychologically disturbing to know that children are sitting back at home doing nothing”, he replied.
That is a small picture of loafing that has engulfed some teachers in some schools where school resumption is still timid in the South West Region. Cameroon Tribune went investigating on what they do with few pupils and students in class in the villages around Buea like Lower Muea, Bolifamba and Bomaka. Teachers were seen sitting on class verandas for long hours. Education authorities have reiterated to teachers last 4 September to organise themselves to be working on Saturdays in order to make up for lost classes of the past academic year. This is because some students and pupils have been promoted to higher classes after only one school term in the last academic year.
It is common to see a class of 60 students now occupied by less than 20. In some rural settings like Muyuka, Wabane, Alou, Menji, Nguti and Mbonge, some teachers have taken farming more seriously than ever before because they may have less to do with pupils and students’ scripts. In Metta Quarters in Kumba, headquarters of Meme Division, teachers of the Government School were seen in a row sitting in the school veranda some of which were cracking their egusi and chatting aloud. Such teachers are not the cause of the ghost schools, anyway! Some of them, especially of the primary schools, have even made rounds in neighbourhoods pleading with parents to bring their children to school.
The surprising thing is simply that back in the quarters the children are coming out for home classes. This has been warned against. Why would children not go to school but prefer to attend home classes? “An educational system, from all standards, cannot rest on home classes and expect to compete”, an Inspector of Education commented to this reporter. “What is really scaring these children and their parents from organising vigilante groups to prevent attacks?” a teacher wondered aloud at the Clerks Quarters newspaper kiosk in Buea yesterday.
How satisfactory can it be to have a job with very little to do? Some people thing sinecure is psychologically disturbing. Especially when one is paid regularly.
 

INTERVIEW

Wilfred Wambeng: “The Consequences Of Destructions Are Great”

The Regional Delegate of Basic Education, North West region sizes up damages on school infrastructure.

Could you size up the situation of schools resumption in the North West region, a few days since the official start of the academic year?

The start of the academic year was timid with barely 3200 pupils in schools across the North West region. There was greater steam thereafter with about 5400 present for teaching and learning on day two and the number further increased on day three of school activities. It is not yet the best because it falls below our expectations. We thought that after the long stay at home and the complaints by parents that the children had outlived their stay, away from school...