By DOH JAMES SONKEY IN YAOUNDE
Higher Education Minister and Chancellor of Academic Orders, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo has reassured University students both in private and public higher institutions of learning that “the 500 000 laptops to all university students in Cameroon for the 2016/2017 academic year is a presidential promise which must be fulfilled.”
Minister Fame Ndongo gave the reassurance last week as he received in audience the Director General of the Chinese company that is producing the laptops, Sichuan Telecom Construction and Engineering Co Ltd, QIAN Wen Feng.
Speaking at the occasion, Minister Fame Ndongo explained that “the delay in the manufacturing of the laptops to be distributed to all university students in both public and private institutions was due to the fact that Cameroon needed to go through the normal international process of obtaining a loan of FCFA 75 billion from Exim Bank of China. And now that the funding is available, our Chinese partner is here to reassure state authorities that the laptops will be available for distribution very soon.”
The SUN gathered from a close source at the Ministry of Higher Education that some university authorities are not facilitating the task to biometrically take down the names of all duly registered students in their establishments since the biometric system will not permit anybody to collect a laptop for a student.
“Most of them thought that they could submit just any list and we give them the laptops to distribute but unfortunately for them, their plan to extort money from students has failed.” The source hinted.
Next July 27, 2017 will make exactly one year since Higher Education Minister, Fame Ndongo voiced out the promise that President Paul Biya will freely offer 500 000 laptops to all university students after he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Director General of Sichuan Telecom Construction and Engineering Co Ltd, QIAN Wen Feng.