By NOELA EBOB BISONG
At press time, Cameroon had recorded 4,890 Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, with 1,865 recoveries and 165 deaths! The nation was taken aback last May 21, 2020, when public health officials announced that a total of 528 new infected cases had been recorded that same day.
Public Health Minister, Manaouda Malachie has through his Social Media account expressed his worry at the steady increase in Covid-19 cases in the country, despite the efforts in place to battle the virus. The Minister has noted that the situation is becoming complicated. In a recent tweet, he writes: “It is important to note that we are entering a complicated phase of the pandemic.” This has been received as a warning by some.
Minister Manaouda states that: “More than ever, we must protect ourselves, protect our families and protect others by observing barrier measures. Wear a mask when going out and wash your hands regularly.” He has nonetheless noted that health personnel in the country are vehement on winning the battle against the pandemic.
But Minister Manaouda is not alone in worrying over the present situation. Stakeholders in the education sector are currently having sleepless nights as June 1, the day announced for examination classes in the Primary and Secondary levels to resume school approaches. It should be recalled that classes were suspended last March 18, 2020 by government, as one of the salient measures to contain the pandemic. Prime Minister Dion Ngute, however, on April 16, at the end of an interministerial meeting on the evaluation of the implementation of Government’s anti-COVID-19 measures said schools will resume on June 1, 2020. As the said date draws nearer, preoccupations are being voiced.
The SUN has gathered that the Minister of Secondary Education, Prof. Nalova Lyonga has written to the Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development to call his attention to the fact that the resumption of classes requires the disinfection of classrooms, to which unconfirmed reports say she stated she did not have the funds to finance the project.
The SUN has also gathered that about 19 teachers’ trade unions have said ‘NO’ to schools re-opening come June 1, citing the increasing positive Covid-19 cases as a threat to pupils and students.
Parents on their part as well as some students themselves are equally expressing worries on how classes will effectively function with the pandemic having an upward curve nationwide.
While government tries to give education its due place, pundits predict an escalation of the virus should classes resume in the current state of the pandemic in Cameroon, the country being one of the hardest hit in Africa.