By Edwin Nfor (UB Journalism Student On Internship)
Barely a month to the beginning of the 2007/2008 academic year, the Ministry of Secondary Education is yet to make provisions to accommodate the influx of the combined Classes Six and class Seven pupils who passed the entrance examination into secondary school.
The decision to scrap off Class Seven affected mostly Government and
Confessional primary schools thereby increasing the number of students
who sat for the entrance examination.
Secondary school authorities, on the other hand, have had to grapple
with an almost doubled student population of previous years in terms of
admission into Form One into their various institutions.
Statistics from the Provincial Delegation of Secondary Education show that the Southwest Province has 134 Government secondary and high schools and 61 Lay Private and Mission schools.
This is no match to the thousands of candidates who intend to get admission into Form One this academic year.As to how prepared different secondary schools are to face this challenge, the Principal of Bilingual Grammar School, BGS Molyko, Buea, Nathaniel Ewusi, said "so far, we have admitted students for the available space but parents whose children passed in list B are still coming for admission…you can imagine 300 persons coming for ten spaces."
Ewusi said he is still waiting for instructions from the Minister to create new streams for Form One. "I have admitted 214 candidates into four classrooms. The rest of the spaces are for repeaters".
For his part, the Vice Principal of Presbyterian Comprehensive Secondary School, PCSS, Buea, Solomon Ayongwa, said his institution is prepared to welcome a bigger intake into Form One.
"We have the infrastructure and more staff have been posted to the school," Ayongwa said. He, however, regretted the fact that there has been a slight and an insignificant increase of about 18 to 20 students on the 180 students that are usually admitted yearly.
Also, the Principal of Frankfils Comprehensive College, FCC, Buea, Michael Kometa, said his institution has decided to create two new classrooms to accommodate Form One students this year.
The Principal also said he has employed more skilled teachers. The school authorities have also decided to put up a concrete fence around the campus. According to him, "by September 3, 2007, we will be ready to start the academic year with everything in place."
Reacting to the reduction of the Anglophone Basic Education system to six years, a teacher at GSS Buea Rural, whose only name she gave as Mrs. Lifanja, said principals will be forced to take more students and this will lead to overcrowding in classrooms.
"I don't even know whether children who left Class Six went through the syllabuses as required because we know of children who got into secondary school from Class Six but could not cope, " she said.
Mrs. Lifanje said she prefers Government schools for her children because she is a Government teacher. Said she: "I know government teachers are well trained and besides, I can help my children at home when they are in difficulties."
A parent and businesswoman in Great Soppo, Gladys Chenny, told The Post that those who left Class Six this year would certainly have difficulties in Form One."I prefer Government schools because they are cheaper and I have many children to sponsor. Besides, Government schools have well trained teachers," she said.
Another parent, who preferred anonymity, remarked that the decision to abolish Class Seven was a wise one.To her, Anglophones have always been cheated and besides there is no difference between Class Six and Class Seven.
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