Insecurity frustrates effective schools resumption
This is the third week since the 2017/2018 academic year kicked-off, yet most parents still have cold feet about sending their children back to school due to the porous nature of security on campuses. Some of these parents, in Limbe, purport that most school campuses have become a hideout/ breeding ground for hoodlums and vandals. They say these persons, who are mostly school dropouts and consumers of hard drugs, tend to harass school children and destroy the schools’ buildings.
Uncle Moore, Proprietor of a lay private school in Limbe told The SUN that: “Surely parents are still sceptical if the school year will be effective; while others say they will wait till around October.”Concerning security, Uncle Moore told the Press that his school has been under tight security since last year: “We have our security men on duty 24/7: and elements of the police force are always around to lend a hand.”
Unlike SONARA School, College de l’Espoir, Saint Anne, amongst others, which have guards stationed on their campuses, others claim they cannot get guards because they cannot afford them. It was against this backdrop that the Divisional Officer for Limbe I, represented by his assistant, organised a security meeting to deliberate on security measures which will guarantee the safety of school children.
During the meeting which took place on Thursday September 14 at the precincts of Limbe I council, Susan Empah urged head teachers, principals, PTA presidents, chiefs and quarter heads to put all hands on deck, so as to ensure the smooth run of the academic year. “The administration cannot make provisions for forces of law and order to be stationed in all schools because they are limited in number. As a result, every institution of learning must have at least two guards; while some uniform men will patrol your campuses at night,” Susan Empah added.
Meantime, Elangwe Mosusu, a PTA President, charged that: “Given the times in which we find ourselves, it is Government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of our children. Government asked us to send our children to school which we have done. It should now provide the security it promised.”It should be noted that before now, many schools in Limbe were victims of arson by unidentified persons. Recently, the bursar’s office in a lay private school in New Town was burn down while another school, GS Towe, was attacked and parts of the building consumed by fire.
Culled and originally written by the Sun Newspaper, Buea