“Be courageous, exercise sangfroid and embrace innovations in curricula in efforts to promote quality education and values that inspire hope in society”. This was the take-home message delivered by the Minister of Basic Education, Youssouf Adidja Alim as she launched the 2018/2019 academic year in Bamenda, Monday September 3.

The Minister made a special appeal to stakeholders to give children a chance in the future by letting them study now. It emerged from the event ground at Ecole Puplique Les Champions in Up Station Bamenda, that the government is making huge sacrifices to promote education, with the construction of classrooms, acquisition of didactic materials, purchase of benches and recruitment of teachers.

In this light, Minister Youssouf urged parents and children in the North West not to miss out on the goodness of education which offers multiple opportunities, especially in entrepreneurship, leadership, amongst others.

She announced imminent budgetary allocations for the refurbishment of some dilapidating school infrastructure. The Minister acknowledged that the North West is the destination for excellence in education and regretted that the socio-political crisis rocking the region has not helped matters. About half of the population of pupils have been out of classrooms.

The basic education boss called for a minute silence for civilians and security officers who have lost their lives during the period of the crisis. Besides the Minister of Basic Education, the Secretary General in the Ministry of Secondary Education, Bisse Bea also used yesterday’s launching exercise to size up school resumption in some colleges in Bamenda.  He was at GBHS Bamendakwe where over 300 students were present for classes.

The day also took him to GBHS Down Town which featured 129 students and later GBHS Ntamulung, GBHS Bayelle, amongst others. The Secretary General took out time to explain the concept of “clean schools” as a priority this academic year. He said it is all about hygiene and sanitation, serenity, zero tolerance for drug abuse in the school milieu, best practices in living together, amongst others.