Cameroon: Buea DO cajoles PTA presidents to halt strike

Kouam Wokam Paul, Divisional Officer for Buea who some media men described as “cunning” considering the manner he often uses to get things done has called on Presidents of Parents Teachers associations, PTA in primary and secondary schools in the municipality of Buea to ensure that come Monday November 28, 2016, students and pupils are all present in school come Monday.

The DO was speaking during two emergency meetings he chaired yesterday between PTA presidents, head teachers, administrative authorities and parents at the conference hall of his office. The first meeting between the DO and stakeholders of the primary education family started at about 8AM and was attended by the inspectorate of Basic Education for Buea and the Mayor of the Buea municipality, Ekema Patrick Esunge.

The second meeting between stakeholders of Secondary Education started at about 10:30AM and all geared at ensuring that school resumes come Monday. Speaking, Wokam questioned the legality of the association that started the strike action in the name of All Anglophone Teachers association. To him such an association does not exist and should not be used to tamper with the future of the children who are paying the price of the strike action.

To him, the best means of settling and misunderstanding is to dialogue rather than going on strike which so far is affecting the students and pupil. This, he complements is due to the fact that when the official exams will be set, the strike action will not be taken into consideration. In what seemed like a move to cajole the PTA representatives, Paul Wokam noted that the meeting convened by himself was focused only on ensuring that the students go back to school and another forum he added, will be established to negotiate the demands of those on strike.

The DO who sounded rather desperate urged the PTA presidents to organize meetings with their teachers and parents this Saturday and ensure that all students are present in class come Monday. He equally employed them to write and sign a radio communiqué before exiting the conference hall.

The announcement according to him will be send to all broadcast outlets in Buea calling on students and pupils to all answer present for classes. Speaking, Mayor Ekema Patrick pleaded on the PTA officials to ensure that schools resume as soon as possible noted that the strike had gravely affected him both as a parent and as an administrator.

To him isolationism and appeasement are not the best solutions to the problems and keeping students at home only help to swell the situation. Some of the PTA presidents whom this reporter approached at the end of the meeting for their comments and decisions refused to comment stating that they had nothing to say.

However one of them who accepted to be interviewed on the basis of anonymity noted that personally he did not know there was a strike since he did not receive any letter from any trade union or association. Quizzed on what he made of the DO’s demands the PTA president responded that he was the administrative head in the region and had given commands which they will respect.

The dual meeting however ended on a contradictory note as some PTA presidents refused to signed the radio communiqué calling on the DO to write it and sign with his name. But Wokam in his usual ways called on them to sign and give him to take to the broadcast outlets. He equally announced inspection visit to schools in Buea on Monday. This he explained was to take stuck of those schools who would have implemented his demands.