Jacques Fame Ndongo Political Appointee (VC) Destroying UB
University of Buea (UB) says they will admit students into the first year of the University even without the English Language provided they will sit for the intensive English Language. They will also admit as low as 4 points for Advance Level holders. This decision was made from the catastrophic 2017 ordinary level results.
The decision by the University goes directly against the text creating UB which stipulates that a compulsory pass of ordinary level English for “Anglophones”. While from the face lift this is good, this is something as student leader in UB and other political force, we have been craving for UB to change because it is discriminatory. “Anglophones” who study through out their primary, secondary and higher education in English cannot be refused admission into UB and Francophones who study through out in French are admitted after few weeks of intensive English Language course. The normal thing would have been leaving the admission open for all who show proof of studying in English as foreign universities are doing rather than blocking Anglophones into UB. That policy has been discriminatory for years. At best, Anglophones who didn’t make it in English Language at ordinary level should have been given same opportunities as Francophones for the intensive English course, exactly as they are doing now.
Now because of the Southern Cameroons current crisis and as a result of a very red bad ordinary and advance level GCE results, UB has taken the position to admit without English Language going against a Presidential 1993 text. Take note that in the type of education we want to build in the future Southern Cameroons, the power lies in the hands of the University to determine issues not a text from someone far in Yaounde. Now, in this current situation, we ask the following questions
1. Did UB authorities get approval from the Presidency to waive that provision? Remember not even the University senate or Council or even higher education ministry can waive such a decision?
2. Has UB deliberately been marginalising Anglophones? This is so because all attempts from the students union and South West Chiefs For UB to change this policy over the years have been futile. UB always complain that the decision is not theirs but that of Yaoundé. What has changed today? Did the Presidency change the decree in hiding without us knowing?
3. Reports say the number of students applying into the universities have dropped drastically and money to run the universities may not be there and they can’t rely on state subventions entirely. Is the UB administration sacrificing quality and standards for money making ventures?
These are questions we must answer because the one year long strike action has shattered the educational foundation from primary to university levels. These are sacrifices the people of Southern Cameroons have made and it must be remedied with a state of the art 21st century education. We will have to urgently fix it by making sure once schools are declared open effectively, the first step will be everyone going back to his or her class as at November 2016. We will overcome.
Mark Bareta
7 comments
The Franconisation of the English systems was established before many born today who are fighting for this struggle ,all those bilingual lyceed in southern Cameroons were put in place to wipe out the English language and culture,education is power!the lycee in Buea has always had the head as a francophone with more than 60% all francophone students in the nicer buildings,the anglophones studied in the smaller outer skirt shank buildings with unqualified lecturers who sometimes didn’t turn up, Ekema monono used to be a dummy assistant head who had no power to admit anglophones & assisted in the marginalisation as he sideline with the prejudice policies, come independence, the Anglo Saxon education, grade merits,correct attained grades entry must be put in place,the Anglophones in bilingual educational establishments in the francophone regions are all Illiterates, always resitting exams,not able to speak simple clear English, often jobless and return to their counties eventually,all those lyceed must be closed down
That shows clearly two things:
1.The regime is really desperate for school resumption.
2.The regime has no interest in good education.
For us education shall not mean to sit on a bench and listen to a lecturer who speaks in broken english to us. Our fight must continue.
The governing council should step up some form of HOMESCHOOLING for all levels. We have the expertise to deliver 21st-century education to our students electronically. We don[t need these old, undereducated, colonial slaves bringing us middle age education. The fucking ministers of education in cameroun, can they use a computer, read or even type. Look at China, Singapore, Denmark, Canada, training students in High Tech. even Estonia, Equatorial Guinee is even ahead of larepublique. Nobody should attend UB for one more year and it will collapse. I will forward these poor admission qualifications worldwide to discredit UB and larepublique degrees. We will rebuild in no time.
Sorry bro, if you boycott UB they will bring in more Francophones to take the places of Anglophones AND eventually it will become a largely Francophone university.
Rather than complain and insult people it is better to think of ideas to restore our Anglo-Saxon system before it becomes too late.
Fellow Ambazonians Look all around us, the hand writing is on the world. The one and indivisible Cameroon has fallen apart, and the future of a self governing state of Ambazonia is sure. We Ambazonians know this and La Republique du Cameroun knows this too.
What La Republique is trying to do is not true education for the people. They want to prepare for a possible Federation and they know that if Ambazonians accept to give them at least a federation, then it will be done through a Referendum and so they better be prepared to sway the results some way to their favour. That is why they are stuffing every school in Ambazonia with Francophones whom they will easily manipulate to vote for a NO INDEPENDENCE.
Unfortunately, the train has moved on, and Like Interim President Sessekou Ayuk Julius Tabe said, any dialogue with La Republique at this point will be to discuss the terms of separation.
We have not forgotten so soon how our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandmothers have been butchered in cold blood, some maimed, raped, dehumanized to despicable proportions, others simply disappeared others wallowing as beggars in exile. All these La Republique does not have the least regret and lacks the moral will to apologize? GOD forbid we ever live together again.
I would like independence but…, that does not depend on what we want.
We need to learn lessons from othes that have tried and failed.
1. Check out Catalonia in Spain. They organized a referendum and majority voted for independence on October 1.
Did the world powers accept their vote? NO. Their independence is not recognized by any country in the world. They had a federal system and could manage their own economy. But they pushed things too far and now the Spanish government has decided to take total control. Not even the UN is supporting them. Not even the EU, UK or France. Is the UN unfair to them? Is it the fault of EU?
2. Check out Kurdistan in Iraq. They also organized a referendum this October and over 90 % voted for full independence. The UN and most neighboring countries also refused to accept it’s independence. There have been killings too. They have an autonomous region and are in control of their affairs but not completely independent.
Southern Cameroon is not the only territory seeking independence and for those who think the world will give us independence if majority say so should learn from the examples l have provided.
Independence is good but will take too long to achieve. This struggle could drag on for more than 30 years. South Sudan tried for more than 20 years before succeeding after loss of many many lives.
Experience is a great teacher and that means we should learn from the experience of others.
Federation is the fastest way for us to gain autonomy and take control of our lives. Let SCACUF consider a return Federation in their next conclave.
It is the middle ground between a unitary state and full independence. Let them make a choice for Quebec style Federation protected by the UN and a union treaty signed.Canada had already indicated willingness to help with that, way back in February 2017.
In every negotiation each party should be ready to compromise on its demands. If we expect LRC to compromise then we should also be ready to compromise.
If they keep insisting on Full independence it will come at the cost
I so love this analysis of yours. When a country has no international support, it becomes really hard to get things work out. I recently applied for a national scholarship but was denied due to reasons unknown to me. Well, we just never give up hope.