By TALLA AGHAA
Students and pupils of various examination classes have since April 5, 2020 been receiving lectures through various e-learning platforms to keep them up to date as end-of-year examinations draw near, amid the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, students and pupils in Kumba, Chief Town of Meme Division, in the South West Region are reportedly expressing frustration ever since the e-learning study programme was announced by the Minister of Basic Education, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa and that of Secondary Education, Professor Nalova Lyonga, due to constant blackout across the entire Meme Division. For the past weeks, electricity in Kumba has been unstable, and going by the fact that e–learning is mostly broadcasted on State Media, the students and pupils are finding it difficult to meet up with the lectures.
An Upper-sixth student of the Cameroon College of Arts and Science CCAS Kumba, told The SUN that he is frustrated with the current situation in Kumba, whereby the city has been in darkness for days, making it difficult for many of them in examination classes to follow up lectures either through social media platforms or the television.
Equally, a student of the University of Buea has hinted that the e- learning programme announced by the Registrar is even more complicated in that students are called upon to follow the link given by school authorities and all students do start classes at the same moment; however, at times, he finds it very frustrating during blackout since he cannot charge his laptop, talk less of his mobile phone thus making it difficult for him to catch up. The student revealed that if school resumes on June 1, 2020 as announced by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, only then will he catch up with other students. He nonetheless launched a clarion call to the powers that be especially the authorities of ENEO, to put in their best so that the constant power failure in the area should in the days ahead be a thing of the past.
It should be noted that the e-learning programme was introduced in Cameroon following the shutdown of schools by government in line with the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus pandemic that is causing havoc in terms of daily deaths recorded worldwide.