Thia write up herein has been circulating on Whatsapp and Facebook supposedly written by la Republique agent claiming Southern Cameroonians should be happy of the steps Government has taken. In all fairness after reading through the points, I became more infuriated because for 56 years of cohabitation with La Republique Du Cameroun, these are not issues our people should be asking. These are issues which should have been done. It only takes bad faith, greed from the successive regimes of Alhidjo and Biya over our people. As such the below points from supposedly what Government must have done are only cosmetic and it does not in any way settles the Southern Cameroons question because they are not sustainable . We the people of Southern Cameroons therefore give a RED CARD to these cooked up solutions and say the struggle must continue. Read On:

ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SITUATION IN THE NORTHWEST AND SOUTH WEST REGIONS

A- IMPROVING ON THE EDUCATIONAL SUB SYSTEM

1- According to the Ministerial Order of December 23 2016, the Minister of Secondary Education ordered the transfer of teachers, the bulk of whom were sent to the North-West and South-West Regions

2-Ongoing integration of the first group of contract primary and secondary school teachers

3-Instruction by the Head of State to recruit 1,000 young perfectly bilingual teachers specialised in science and technology

4-Redeployment of Francophone lecturers and administrative staff who are not fluent in English from the Universities of Bamenda and Buea as soon as the Vice Chancellors forward the names.

5- Recruitment of lecturers for the 8 Universities, including the Universities of Bamenda and Buea;

6-A Department of French Modern Letters has been created in the Higher Teachers’ Training College (ENS) of the University of Bamenda;

7-Introduction of new examination instruments in addition to Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), for entrance into professional schools;

8-Creation of another Higher Technical Teachers’ Training College (ENSET) for the francophone subsystem of education;

9-Studies are underway for the creation of a Higher Institute of Engineering and Technology for the English subsystem (Polytechnic at University of Bamenda);

10-Reinforcement of the Admission of HND/HPD certificate holders in particular specialities, into third year of HTTTCs of the Universities of Bamenda and Buea, to make up for the acute shortage of technical teachers in Anglophone schools;

11- The minister of Higher Education has ordered for the Harmonization of programmes in the Universities of Buea and Bamenda.

12-The redeployment of teachers to correspond to their linguistic background is complete for technical schools while that of general education is being finalized and will be completed before beginning of the next academic year;

13-The draft texts to align the technical education certification system of the English-speaking subsystem of education with the guiding principles of the said system are eing finalized

14-More effective implementation of harmonised BMD programs in all universities (awarding of Master’s degree 2 years after the Bachelor degree and suppression of Master 1, awarded in the francophone university system);

15-Awarding of end-of-course diplomas that specify their status to trainees in professional schools;

16-More autonomy for the Universities in the organization of competitive entrance exams into professional schools;

17-The President of the Republic ordered a special subsidy of CFA F 2 billion has been granted to lay private and denominational schools for the current fiscal year. It is in addition to a previously budgeted amount of CFAF 2.3 billion, taking Government effort in this area to CFAF 4.3 billion.

18-There will be an increase in the number of candidates to be admitted into the HTTCs and HTTTCs;

19-Admission of candidates into specialization in HTTC and HTTTC of the Universities of Buea and Bamenda on the basis of their highest certificates;

20-More effective implementation of harmonised BMD programs in all universities (awarding of Master’s degree 2 years after the Bachelor degree and suppression of Master 1, awarded in the francophone university system);

21-Awarding of end-of-course diplomas that specify their status to trainees in professional schools;

22-More autonomy for the Universities in the organization of competitive entrance exams into professional schools;

B- THE REFORMS ON THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM

1-The OHADA Treaty had been published in the Official Gazette of Cameroon, in English and French, on November 15 1997 and the OHADA Uniform Acts in force in 1999 had special editions in English, published in the Official Gazette of Cameroon in September and November 1999.

2-At the initiative of Cameroon, the OHADA Treaty, which chose French as the only working language of OHADA, was amended in 2008 to also include English, Portuguese and Spanish.

3-After the publication by OHADA on November 24 2016, in its Official Journal, of the English version of the Treaty and other OHADA texts and which were handed to the Minister, Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic by the Permanent Secretary of OHADA on November 28 2016, the Minister of State, Minister of Justice and keeper of seals on November 29 2016, symbolically handed to the President of the Bar Association, the English version of the Treaty and other OHADA texts published in the Official Gazette of OHADA.

4-Lawyers’ robes and wigs that were seized by the police during the lawyers demonstration were effectively handed back.

5-Labour Law, Land Law and the CEMAC, CIMA, and OHADA Business Laws, to mention only a few legal disciplines have already been harmonized.

6-It is necessary to understand the judiciary system of the Republic of Cameroon; it is not because the Cameroonian law is being harmonized that the principles of Common Law are not taken into account.

Therefore, the President of the Republic ordered:

a – The creation of a Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at the University of Buea;

b- The creation of Departments of English Law in the Universities of Douala, Dschang, Ngaoundere, and Maroua respectively;

c- The programming of the teaching of Public Law in the Universities of Buea and Bamenda;

d- The continuous teaching of subjects not yet standardized, while respecting the specificities of the Common Law;

e- The setting up of a working group to specify, on the one hand, the contents of curricula in universities, legal courses for the judicial careers and, on the other hand, the content of curricula for the training of student magistrates and registrars;

f- Tailor-made training in universities, with a view to strengthen the capacities of Anglophone magistrates and registrars, so that they can calmly work in administrative and audit courts.

g- The recruitment of interpreters specialized in courts, pending the results of the special recruitment of Anglophone magistrates and registrars;

h-The continuation, on a transitional basis, of the exercise of duties of lawyers and notaries, cumulatively in the North West and South West Regions;

i- The launching of an entrance examination into the Advanced School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) for the training of 50 Court registrars and 30 Magistrates.

j- The National Council of Magistracy to be chaired by the Head of State to hold this month, during which all the problems raised by lawyers, and many others, will be taken into account.

C: ISSUES RELATED TO ACTS OF MARGINALISATION AGAINST ANGLOPHONES AND INADEQUATE ATTENTION TO THE BILINGUAL NATURE OF THE COUNTRY

1-On January 23 2017, the President of the Republic created a National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism. It is composed of 15 members and has the following mission:

– It is responsible for promoting bilingualism and multiculturalism, with a view to maintaining peace, consolidating the country’s national unity and strengthening its people’s willingness and day-to-day experience with respect to living together.

– The Commission will monitor the implementation of the constitutional provision that establishes English and French as two equal languages.

– The Commission has been created to pay attention to cases related to marginalization. It will therefore receive petitions against the non compliance, and will report without further ado to the competent judicial services for a legal action to follow.

– Members of the Commission shall comprise of Cameroonian nationals who have portrayed a certain level of moral rectitude, honesty and patriotism.

2- The Head of State has already appointed the president of the Commission, its vice and 13 members.

– He again appointed a secretary general to run and organise the affairs of the Commission.
– They were recently installed into office by the Prime Minister head of government who again reminded them of the tasks that await them. The Commission is already effective.