Principals of both public and private institutions have been instructed to welcome not more than fifty students per class ahead of the upcoming 2020/2021 academic year in a bid to respect the social distancing measure required to curb the spread of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

The instruction was given Wednesday September 23 by the Minister of Secondary Education, Prof Pauline Nalova Lyonga while officially launching the 2020/2021 school year and pedagogic activities at Government Bilingual Technical High School Nkolbisson in Yaounde.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Nalova Lyonga urged principals not to take advantage of the reduction of the number of sitting positions in classrooms to make money while recruiting students.

“The 50 per class is not an opportunity for principals to make money but rather to obey the social distancing. They shouldn’t go out just recruiting students. These students are supposed to be shared by the public and private institutions…” Prof Nalova Lyonga said.

To ensure that the fifty per class instruction is respected, Minister Nalova Lyonga confirmed the adoption of shifts for schools without enough space.

She urged parents to send their children to school come October 5 and reassured them of Government’s security measures to ensure the children are safe from the Coronavirus pandemic which continue tormenting the world.