By WIFAH JENNYHANS NDE
Follow instructions from the Archbishop of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua, asking the administrators of catholic schools to open their doors for GCE candidates to access their centers and sit in for this year’s session of the exams, catholic schools in Buea Diocese like elsewhere heeded to the call. Most of these schools which are boarding schools began holding meetings with some of their staff last Saturday strategizing on how to host their students during this period of the exams.
In St. Joseph’s College, Sasse, where The Sun visited, we were told that text messages were sent to parents of candidates to send their children to school for the exams on Saturday May 13, 2017, 48 hours earlier. The information was however received with mixed feelings as a staff member noted.
To truly understand the state of affairs with regards to hosting of students at their examination center, The Sun had a detailed chat with some staff members and some student of St. Joseph’s college, Sasse who were present on campus that Saturday May 13 to measure their level of preparedness.
In a conversation with the vice principal (VP), Mr. Suliy Emmanuel who sat in for the principal in his absence, The SUN was informed that the information was well received and was backed by the Diocesan Education Secretary for Buea who reacted immediately with financial resources for the college compound to be cleaned and food made available for the students as well as putting in place all what is required for the successful running of the exams in their campus.
A meeting was held that Saturday with some staff members particularly the permanent staff and administrators of the college to map out strategies on how to successfully run the exams. The choice of the permanent staff according to the VP is because they are more available at the moment and since the mission is in crisis, they want to avoid cost they cannot pay for.
There are 206 students who registered to sit in for the exams at this center for both advanced and ordinary levels. The dean of studies Mr. Angoh Emmanuel told the SUN that during these 3 weeks before the written part of the exams begin, they shall run some intensive revision classes with the students and brush up the materials they did not cover with the hope that the students too on their part had been studying while home. ‘We owe the students the responsibility to do so because these 206 candidates are those who had paid their fees 100%’ Mr Angoh added.
Asked if they were worried about security, the VP said it is even their biggest worry compared to the exams and other logistics. ‘God is our number one security that is why we keep praying. We shall nonetheless, beef up our security to be double sure. We have contacts of the forces of law and order who have promised to be at our disposal each time we call. We are also pleading with the ‘ghost’ not to jeopardize the future of our children and so they should give us a chance to run these exams hitch-free. We are equally preparing the students psychologically so they can conquer fear’, Mr. Suliy responded.
Then SUN equally spoke to some students who looked calm and confident. They said they trust their teachers are going to put them through and coupled with their individual efforts, they hope they will make it at the GCE 2017 session. However, they fear their results will not be of good quality since they lacked adequate preparation for the exams.
From Sasse, the SUN moved to the minor seminary, Bishop Rogan College which is also a center for the GCE ordinary and advanced levels exams. Here, we met with a rather non-collaborative staff as all attempts to hear from both administrative and teaching staff were fruitless, they all declined talking to the media. However, a meeting was held there that same Saturday 13, 2017 in preparation to receive and host their students for the GCE exams.
One of the students who spoke to the SUN on condition of anonymity lamented over the uncertainty of this academic year. ‘Our certificates shall not be valid out of the country, the principal of a government school told me. I am only here to consume the money my parents have paid’ said the form 5 student in Bishop Rogan.
At the time The Sun left the campus, at about 4pm, 6 ordinary level students and 1 advanced level student had responded to the school’s invitation.