Prime Minister Philemon Yang has called on parents in the North West region to remember their obligations when fighting for their right

He was speaking in the Mezam division of the North West region in Cameroon on Monday March 6. Yang who is presently on a six day working visit in the region used the occasion to advice parents in Mezam against keeping their children at home. He said they should guard against fear since fear has never educated any child or build a nation.

Using biblical allusions, the government boss stated that there is a time for everything, time for anger and a time to move on. “While fighting for your rights, do not forget your obligation to educate your children” he remarked.

Many education stakeholders in the region had earlier called  for an unequivocal resumption of classes. Sema Valentine of the Cameroon Teachers Trade Union, CATTU, said students’ future is now at stake. “We need to move ahead given that government has so far demonstrated good faith in addressing our worries”.

For his part, Tameh valentine of the Teachers Association of Cameroon, TAC, exhorted parents to respect the ministerial order calling for resumption of classes. The TAC president reportedly cited the nonpayment of salaries by proprietors to teachers in private schools as one of the reasons why they had called off the strike in the first place.  To him, all the grievances presented by the anglophone teachers association are currently being addressed satisfactorily.

For one thing, Tuesday March 7 will reveal whether the prime minister’s message for school resumption was well received in the region. This is the date government had fixed for schools to resume in the two English-speaking regions.

Going by the ministerial order signed by the minister of secondary education, 17 hours of teaching per week will be added in the two English speaking regions from March 6 to May 13.  Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays will have two additional hours while Wednesdays will have three hours. Saturdays will have six additional teaching hours. Minister Bibehe also pressed for an extra two weeks of lessons for examination classes and one week for other classes during the Easter holidays scheduled from Friday March 31, to Monday April 17.