By Daniela Neba Ngum
Insecurity in the two English speaking regions of the country has deprived teachers and education stakeholders in Kumba and Meme Division as a whole from commemorating the 2018 International Teachers Day last Friday October 5.
The celebration in the past years used to be done in the open and celebrated under a particular theme in pomp and fanfare. Teachers Day in the past served as an avenue for stakeholders in the educational milieu to take stock of their profession and also evaluate the services rendered in relation to the code governing the profession.
This year, teachers in Kumba were not given the opportunity to commemorate the day because of the insecurity in the town and the recent happenings that pose a threat to lives.
Talking to some Kumba inhabitants, they disclosed that they only realised that Friday October 5 was International Teachers Day when they watched TV reports of the celebration in other towns given that no such gathering was held in Kumba, the headquarters of Meme Division.
Some teachers who spoke to The SUN on grounds of anonymity said they were sad and disappointed when they saw their colleagues commemorating the day set out for them whereas they in this part of this country were deprived of the celebration.
They noted that in times like this when it seems like a taboo to identify yourself as a teacher and given the dangers some teachers have been exposed to at the wake of the crisis, it would have been difficult for them to muster the courage and celebrate this day publicly.
For fear of being identified and targeted afterwards, they said some of them celebrated the day this time around at home with family members and few colleagues who visited. It should be noted that the educational sector has been greatly affected by the ongoing crisis. Schools in some parts of the two English speaking regions of the country have remained closed since November 2016. Though some major towns in these regions had witnessed on and off classes sometimes under tight security the two academic years had not been the best in these parts of the country.
Though some public exams were written in most towns in the North West and South West Regions in tight security, some centres were still attacked by some gunmen thereby endangering the lives of these candidates. The case of GBHS Nkamlikum in Kumba I Sub-Division comes to mind. The centre was attacked while the GCE examination was in session.
Also with the escalation of the crisis a good number of teachers have been reported kidnapped by unidentified gunmen to unknown destinations and some were later released after a ransom was paid.
Some teachers in the course of the year have been shot to dead by unidentified gunmen, the case of the Head Teacher of GS Etam I, Patrick Ejolle, the Senior Discipline Master of GBHS Kosala in Kumba II Sub-Division, Thomas Ashu Nkongho and a host of others.
Several attacks have been reported to have taken place in some campuses in this part of the country, the recent being that of GBHS Kosala that left an Upper Sixth student wounded.
Blocks of classrooms, benches, administrative units of some institutions have been reduced to ashes by unidentified persons, all this is in a bid to hindered the smooth functioning of the academic in this part of the country.
These according to some inhabitants could have been a more reason to motivate the holding of the celebration in Kumba in order to shun the acts of violence perpetuated in this sector.