By Walter Wilson Nana
In a country where corruption has spread to all sectors of life and social strata, middle schools and the youth in general have been chosen as an entry point in the fight against this scourge in Cameroon.
Packaged in a project christened Fight Against Corruption Through Schools, FACTS, the four National Education Secretariats for private education in Cameroon are currently touring the country to train Principals and head teachers of primary and secondary schools on the relevance of education for integrity.
The National Education Secretariats for private education in Cameroon, which comprises the Catholic, Protestant, Lay Private and Islamic institution, are working in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services, CRS Cameroon on this project.
During their stopover in Buea, Southwest Region, from February 1 to 2, in the Synod Hall of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, Kizita Forgwe, Project Manager for Protestant Schools, explained to participants that the on-going project is destined at behavioral change, with an approach to fighting corruption.
“We are training Principals and head teachers of schools who will also train their colleagues. They are expected to pass on the message of integrity to their pupils and students, who will in turn take the message to their parents and other members of the society,” Forgwe said.
According to Forgwe, the Principals and Head teachers will engage in discussions for the formulation of strategies against corruption in educational institutions, start the implementation of the island of integrity in educational institutions dubbed education community without corruption and the training of teachers on innovative approaches for the introduction of education for integrity.
Convinced that the FACTS message is going through, Forgwe said the government of Cameroon has seen the need to pass through pupils and students, whose mindset they can change for a future generation free of corruption.
“For about five years, we have touched about five million Cameroonian pupils and students. Therefore, by implementing the FACTS project in the private education sector, these institutions; the four National Education Secretariats, will lead the process which is in line with giving meaning to the Orientation Law of Education, which emphasises that values like dignity, honesty, integrity and discipline be taught in the Cameroon educational system,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Synod Clerk of the PCC, Rev. William Abwenzoh, told the principals and head teachers to set the example on the fight against corruption in their respective schools. He expressed hope that, through this project, the spirit of God will instill wisdom on the pupils and students.
Some Principals and Head teachers this reporter talked to were unanimous that the fight against corruption is an uphill task, but they are determined to forge ahead with the guidelines they have received from the FACTS workshop.
First elaborated in Cameroon from 2003 – 2006 as FACT I, the second phase, FACT II, launched in October 2009 by the Minister of Secondary Education, Louis Bapes Bapes, is on-going across Cameroon.