BY ATIA TILARIOUS AZOHNWI
Catholics Schools in the Diocese of Buea and Kumba, The SUN has learnt, will observe a technical holiday from Monday, September 25 to the first week of October 2017, probably October 3.
The prolonged outing or temporal closure of the schools is said to have been necessitated by the protests that swept through the North West and South West Regions last September 22, 2017.
“We are sending our students on a prolonged outing until about October 3, 2017 when we are expecting them to come back. We are not sure of the turn of events in the build up to October 1,” a principal of a catholic school told The SUN on grounds of anonymity.
On that fateful Friday, September 22, 2017, we learnt that Our Lady of Grace College in Muyuka was attacked by protesters. Students were reportedly assaulted. The chaplain of the school, Peter Namongo had his car damaged, his room broken into; his passport, laptop and other belongings were taken away by the protesters.
Schools resumed for the 2017/2018 academic year on September 4, but the new turn of events make it imperative for a technical break to be observed.
It is likely that many other school authorities may follow this precedence in order not to expose students to any form of danger.
Arsonists have also in recent times been targeting schools, but enormous losses.
Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla in a thanksgiving service yesterday in Buea described as barbaric all forms of violence, especially towards schools.
Hear him: “We are mindful that over the last 11 months, various conditions have caused us to be angered, disappointed, frustrated, misinformed and in some cases this had led to violent acts. Consistent with our approach, we have and will continue to urge you all my brothers, sisters and parents to exercise restraint, and to work towards preventing all forms of violence. As one of my idols Martin Luther King Jr once said, “In our quest to seek our rightful place, let us not drink from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” Let us abhor violence because love always trumps hate.
We have a collective responsibility to prevent the burning of our private and public buildings especially schools. I have had the opportunity to read, meet and hear from some of you about your experiences and aspirations. We can assure you we have heard your frustrations loud and clear. Whether I have met with you or we agreed on the same opinions or not, I learned from you and it helped me become a better man. Even though we may differ in approaches we must respect each other’s opinions. We can disagree without being disagreeable. It is a hallmark of a democratic society to have divergent views and opinions. Government has the responsibility to take steps to ease the tensions within our communities so as to reduce the likelihood of conflict. We call on all our youths, religious leaders, and community leaders, opinion leaders to work towards addressing all potential signs of violent conduct and to stand up and speak up against violence. The solution must be political. This is a time for leadership and statesmanship which we will provide.”