Anglophone Crisis Cameroon: Government pescribes measures to catch-up with lost classes

The government of Cameroon, through the Minister of Secondary Education, has prescribed measures for catch-up classes in order to enable students meet up with lessons lost as a result of the Anglophone Teachers’ Trade Unions strike action that started on November 21 last year and has paralysed schools in the Northwest and Southwest Regions.

The measures are contained in press release No 13/17/PR/MINESEC/CAB of March 3, 2017 signed by the Minister of Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Masséna Ngallé Bibehé. Copies were dispatched to the Secretaries General at the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s Office for information, the DECC, GCE Board, OBC, National Secretaries and Education Secretaries.

According to the release, the Minister “informs the National Education Community that following the strike action of teachers in the Northwest and Southwest Regions which, up to 3 February 2017, disrupted the smooth implementation of activities provided for by Order No 6384/B1/1464/MINEDUB/MINESEC of 24 June 2016 fixing the calendar of the 2016/2017 school year in the Republic of Cameroon, notably those relating to pedagogic planning, measures have been taken to make up for lost teaching hours.”

The measures as spelt out by the Minister include: “the continuation of catch-up classes that have been ongoing for some time now in the Francophone section; the increase of 17 hour of teaching per week in the Anglophone section to run from 6 March to 13 May 2017 (and divided as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 2 hours per day; Wednesday: 3 hours; Saturday: 6 hours); two weeks of classes for examination classes and one week for other classes during Easter holidays scheduled from Friday, 31 March to Monday, 17 April 2017.”

The Minister called on all members of the education community to put all hands on deck, in their different spheres of competence, for the full implementation of the measures outlined above.

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