“The
Pre-ordained Corridor To Emergence In Mbum Land”
A
proposed Road Map for An Academic
Revolution
Presented
By
Tatah Emmanuel Bantar
President
Association for the Promotion of Professional
Education in Mbum Land
(APPEM)
With Inputs from MBANGFON; Dr. Nicolas Y.
Ngwanyam
On the Occasion of the ECCUFORUM holding from the
10-14/12/2014 in NDU
The Senior Divisional Officer,
The Divisional Officer,
The Lord Mayor- Ndu Council,
The honourable MP for Ndu &
Nkambe,
Leaders of political parties,
Traditional rulers, Clergies,
Fellow Panellists,
Distinguished Guests,
All Protocols Duly
Respected,
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Accept My Sincere Greetings!
I
am very delighted with the Ndu Council and its partners for
organising this event. I am even more elated with them for giving me the
opportunity to proposed a roadmap for an academic revolution in our community
titled “Professional Education: The
Pre-ordained Corridor to Emergence in Mbum Land”. This presentation is an executive
summary of the book coming up soon.
1.
Key concepts: Emergence, Mbum Land, Poverty, Professional
Education, Stagnation & Underdevelopment, and Unemployment:
2.
The Genesis of The Problem
The post independent education and
training policies in Cameroon were focused on the formation of Cameroonians to
replace the departed colonial administrators and to fill-in the public service.
This is how the so-called general education implanted itself so deep in
Cameroon and by extension in Mbum land.
Fifty four (54) years down the line,
society has evolved tremendously; the population has grown rapidly, things have
change drastically and the needs of the job market are no longer the same. A
number of forces and factors have interactively watered away the value of this
general education and thus opened a leeway to professional, technical and
vocational education and training.
Also, the implementation of the World
Blank /IMF imposed Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) provided for hostility
measures such as reduction of salaries of civil servants, reduction of the size
of the public service, privatization of public enterprises and the
liberalization of the economy (and the job market). When the size of the public
service was squashed, and public enterprises were privatized while the economy
was liberalized, Specialization, Professionalism and Technocracy took centre stage.
In the private sector, the demands of
the job market completely change and continue to adjust to meet up with new
trends. Clear cut skills and expert knowledge is now required for the few and
competitive job vacancies available.
In the public sector, very few
administrative posts are available, compared to the large and ever-growing
population still following the outdated colonial curricula. Even where
administrative posts exist, access them has been made more difficult than that
to heaven. Social ills such as bribery, corruption, tribalism, nepotism and
even partisan politics have become the leading criteria by which access into
the public service and some administrative post is acquired. Thus meritocracy
has been reserve for piece meal jobs, not to say for the dogs.
3.
Measure Taken By
Government To Solve The Problem
The new
trends in the job market were also taken seriously by the Cameroon government
and measures were taken, progressively, to prepare our citizen for this
globalised society. Such measures included:
1) The
adoption of a break-through syllabus for technical high school in Cameroon by
the Ministry of Secondary Education in 1991
2) The
revision of the 1991 syllabus in 2013 by the same Ministry,
3) The
creation of the ministry of employment, professionalization and vocational
education and training in 2004, and
4) The
creation of the National Employment Fund,
4.
Outcome of these
Government Measures
All these measures culminated in the
creation of various professional, technical and vocational education and
training schools and centres. Unfortunately, these reforms were accepted by the
two subsystems differently and with varying diktat.
Those of Francophone subsystem of education
welcome the reform while those of the Anglophone subsystem embraced this change
rather sluggishly. Technical education
and by extension, professional education was perceived as that education for
the dull. Even within the Anglophone subsystem itself, ethnic grouping and
tribes welcomed it differently.
In Mbum land, the situation was
catastrophic and remains a major challenge today. The Wimbum people have glued to
their public service syndrome, continuously preferring to be grade one teachers
if not pastors.
They continue to pursue general
education for academic reasons at the expense of professional education for
creative and productive purposes. The current situation is an improved one, with
the creation of several technical schools in the area. However the change is at
discouraging snail-pace. In the 2007/2008 academic year, for example, the
enrolment in the secondary and high school in Ndu subdivision was 1855. Of this number; only 450 students were enrolled
in the technical education schools.
Simply put, only 24.26% of
students could become useful to themselves if education ended at advance level.
The majority of 75.74% were
pursuing general education at this level.
As of 2014/2015, we have still proven
to be less friendly to technical education and vocational training. The vocational
training centres (CSAR/SMs) created by Government in Ndu and Nkambe are yet to
have a revolutionary enrolment. The one in Nkambe has enrolment about 65 students while that in Ndu has just 18 students. Yet we want to emerged,
what a pity!
It appears like the professionalization train
took off from Bamenda for Mbum land via the rings and a breakdown happened on
the way. After Ndop, Kumbo and Tatum the train probably got
shattered at the entrance to Njifor
and only parts got to Mbum land.
5.
The Consequences
The
repercussions are glaring. Many of our youths, who for the most part do not go
beyond the high school levels (A/L), are found crisscrossing towns and cities
and roaming streets in quest for jobs - many of which they are not qualified for.
For the few who go beyond the A/L, fewer is the number that opt for
professional studies. Greater proportions prefer humanities when it comes to
sciences. In effect, the consequences of this misguided educational path are
numerous and alarming:
1) Dependency
is unacceptably high and persistently increasing,
2) Unemployment
is famous and joblessness seems like an acceptable status,
3) Poverty
have subjected many to ridicule,
4) The
economy of Ndu and Nkambe municipality experiencing stagnation and
5) Mbum
people seem to be married to underdevelopment.
6.
The Wrong & Misleading
Causes As Advanced By Politician & the Clergymen
This very sympathetic situation is
made even more frustrating by the causes as advanced by some opinion holders in
the community. In a desperate attempt to gain firm (political, economic or
social), some enlightened member of the Mbum community have; over the year;
generated and fuelled wrong and misleading impressions amongst the youths as
regard their poverty and joblessness. Many a youth have been made to think that
their inability to integrate the job market is as a result of their attachment
to or failure to attach or identity with this or part political party.
The clergymen of the community have
not been any good. While the most ignorant thing that the solution lays in
session the clergy have dramatize the situation, at their altars generally
referring to impoverishing economic and geographical happenings as sign of the
end.
7.
Case Studies and Examples
Example
One: Fai Louis was born in Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw village. He abandoned the
studies without an O/L and enrolled in a vocational training centre. There he
learned wood work furniture and carpentry for 4 years. Today, Fai Louis, who is
in his late 20s, is a professional, a wood work engineer, carpentry and
furniture expert. He runs a mega carpentry workshop at the Tobin Roundabout in
Kumbo. He has six (6) Apprentices under him. His lucrative activity has
permitted him to accumulate savings enough for further education.
Example
Two: Nkwinte Nicoline Yuh is a native of Wowo, she
obtained the CAP from G.T.C. Ndu (then) and later enrolled at the ALGAYU
COMPUTER And VOCATIONAL TRIAINING CENTER-NDU. Here, she graduated with a
diploma in secretariat duties (office automation).Today, Nicotine is the
private secretary to the Lord Mayor of Ndu council. Those who have visited Ndu
Council of late will agree with me that, Nicoline is a hospitable and dynamic
staff of the council. Nicoline lives happily with her family in Ndu and is one
of the pillars on which the family stands. She has plans to further her
education in future. The examples are
bound.
The
case study of “Alphonse Melancholy” portrays how Alphonse
suffered with a Bachelors’ Degree in
History for two year without securing a job. He eventually fines himself in
the waiting trial for months for advocating secessionist ideas. His younger
ones are not spare the price of ignorance and deceit. Beatrice suffers with her Ordinary
Levels for three years and finally found herself in Yaoundé as a house
girl. She is tested positive for HIV and pregnancy. Timothy dumps his Advance
Level in the house and goes riding a motorcycle owned by his primary school
classmate who is now a plumber.
An
accident takes away his right leg and he; like the detainee and other family members,
are cared for by Irene the younger
sister who is a Hair dresser. Irene has replaced
their father who died shortly after he was shockingly sack from the Ndu Tea
Estate when it was privatised.
8.
The Real Causes
At a time
when the country is yearning for emergence and the Mbum people are craving for
survival, it is important for any elite or alien, who has the opportunity, to
contribute his or her quota to ensure that the Mbum people are rationalized.
This will permit them to have a level playing ground and can compete at least
to some extend with other Cameroonians in job creation and job seeking.
Identifying the real causes of unemployment is central to providing a lasting
solution. Let us look at four of these causes:
i.
Ignorance Is The Biggest
Problem
Gemuh E.V (2009) says “if the tail of
ignorance is drop offs man, he will live well, both in the lord (God) and in
the world”. This assertion is supported by the Bible in Hosea 4:6, when it states that “my people parish because
of lack of knowledge”. The legislator queues in by saying “ignorance of the law
is no excuse”. Mbum people suffer from invincible, vincible, and affected
ignorance. Most of our youths suffer from A.I.D.S.
i.e. Acute Information Deficiency Syndrome. They continue to pursue general
education for academic reasons at the expense of professional education for
creative and productive purposes.
ii.
Selection of Career Paths
which are Incompatible With Available
Resources:
Most youths take career paths which
require a lot of resources and time to permit them gain financial independence,
while they hardly have the required resources. Consequently they almost always do not reach the productive stage
of their educative path due to inadequate resources. The most often lack Career orientation, Educational coaching (mentoring) and
Guidance counselling.
iii.
Deceits:
Some politicians and
clergymen like other opinion holders have deceived the youths and lured them
into blame games. This is how they have, over the year, generated and fuelled
wrong and misleading impressions amongst the youths as regard their poverty and
joblessness. Many a youth have been made to think that their inability to
integrate the job market is as a result of their attachment to or failure to
attach or identity with this or part political party. The clergymen of the
community have not been any good. While the most ignorant thing that the
solution lays in secession, the clergy have dramatize the situation at their
altars generally referring to impoverishing economic and geographical happenings
as “sign of the end”.
iv.
Attitude or Mindset:
The difference between the
Wimbum youths and others, “say the Bansos
or Bamilikes” also lie in their mindsets or attitudes. It constitutes 75%
of success requirements. Give a Bamilike man Alphonse’s Bachelors Degree in
History, he will succeeds with it by creating a job or jobs. Our own youths who
have it successfully establish themselves as secretary in “Sha-a” and Raffia wine
oriented Njangis. While others use the very general degrees to create
micro enterprises and benefit from projects like “PIASSI”, “PAJER-U” and
“PIFMAS”, we
use ours to antagonise villagers, emitting “high terms” from bars. We continue looking at our problems with
magnified glass lens of fear and intimidation. The roads are too bad for us to
succeed but traders from, as far as, Mbuda
and Kumbo are succeeding. The tax
policy is too bad but even foreigners have invaded our towns so as to enjoy the
fair business climate. The youths lack values such as honesty, hard work, ,
tolerance, merit, self discipline, excellence, respect for others and for
nature, love for others and for nature and the fear of God.
9.
The Perspective: Vision
2035, 2015 Budget and the Three-Year Emergency Plan.
Cameroon’s
Vision for the next 25-30 years is "Cameroon:
An Emerging, Democratic and United Country in Diversity ". The overall
objective of the vision is to make Cameroon an emerging country over the next 25-30 years. The vision,
which is now backed by the emergence and security budget of 2015 and the
Emergency Plan which comprises a Three- Year Investment Programme, has the
following medium-term objectives;
-
poverty alleviation;
-
becoming a middle income country;
-
becoming a newly industrialized country and
-
Consolidating democracy and national unity while respecting
the country’s diversity.
The vision is therefore a reference
framework that should guide sector (or communities), regional and national policies.
It requires that every country (and by extension and simplification community
like Mbum people) spells out its own development policy freely so that donors
or government interventions only come to back it initiatives. To meet up with
these objectives, the government has identified competences needed in
Cameroonians to accompany her in this dream.
These ten competences areas are:
-
Information and communication Technologies:
-
Consolidating democracy and enhancing national unity:
-
Economic growth and employment:
-
National, foreign languages and culture:
-
Socio-demographic;
-
Urban and regional development:
-
Good governance:
-
Technical, industrial and professional skills at all levels:
-
Agricultural skills and
-
Mastery of institutional, political, sociological and
international factors.
These are the competences at the
national level. For this principle to be useful there is need for
contextualisation of these competences to fit into the realities of Mbum land.
These areas of competences are simply the skills which shall be required.
Consequently any education or training not aligning with these areas is out of
place
Therefore, Mbum youths need to train
in ICTs, ensure unity and love while embracing democracy; accepting that Democracy
has come to stay and that multipartism is its major ingredient. The Mbum
community would have to create a competitive industrial sector, making for
education that can result in the production of flour from corn, cassava; etc
and the developing local craft like the production of tooth pick etc.
With 1,150 Billion FCFA allocated for
public investment in 2015, and assuming the incremental rate of 13.5% as was
the case this year, we project a PIB of 1,305
Billion FCFA for 2016 and 1,481.18 Billions FCFA for 2017. When this amount is added to the 925 Billion
FCFA set aside for Three- Year Investment Programme, we get A No Nonsense Sum of 4,961.18 Billion FCFA
to be invested in sectors such as urban development, health, agriculture and
livestock, road infrastructure, water, energy and security within the next
three years. This simply means
that there will be mass construction in the days ahead and construction related jobs will overflow in Cameroon. Moreover,
through the multiplier and accelerator
principles, non construction sectors shall also boom.
10.
My Premise
A lot of
words-works have been done without any concrete action on the ground, even though
some sensitization tours have been carried out. This has been largely due to
the lack of a clear cut blue print or road map. This publication is natured by
the need to address this pre-occupation.
The place of professional
education and by extension the corridor to emergence is largely enshrined in
the bible, the greatest book that ever existed in human History.
The scriptures made us to
understand that Joseph, the husband
of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ,
was a carpenter, wood work engineering). Matthew was a tax collector (taxation
and tax consultancy); a number of biblical characters were fishermen (fish
production). Luke, mark, John etc wrote important portions of the bible (writers).
The neglect
of professional education, technical education and vocational training was not
just a visionary failure on our side; it went closer to sinning against God The
issue at stake here, therefore, goes beyond educational philosophy, visions and
objectives to include salvation. The revival question thus is “What Must We Do
to Be Safe?”
-
To be safe from unemployment
-
To be safe from poverty and ridicule.
-
To be safe from stagnation
-
To be safe from further ridicule and
-
To be safe from under development
By and large, there is enough
imposing reason to pray as if all depended on God while working as if all
depended on hard work.
11.
Recommendation / Appeal
- Recommendation to the
Pupils Students and Parents:
Before you chose your educational
path i.e. the choice of school:
general or technical; and the choice of programme or series, consider the
following decision tools:
-
What is the cost of the educational path?
-
What are the career openings? Are there any short cuts?
-
What is the duration for it to give you financial
independence?
-
Who is the sponsor; is the learner self-sponsored?
-
Who is the stand by sponsor if the main sponsor is no more?
-
Does the sponsor enjoy job security?
-
What is the age of the sponsor and that of the stand by
sponsor?
-
What is age of the learner?
-
Who is the learners’ role model?
-
Etc
Remember
that you can change the strategy without changing the goal.
Finally chose the shortest, surest
reliable path to sustainable financial independent education and. Professional,
technical and vocational training offers this. “For more detail, please, sees
the Book”
B. Recommendation to Ndu/Nkambe
Council, WICUDA, Elite and other stakeholders:
In
general, the ideal will be to Work in a synergy to adopt a blue print to be
followed, Source for funding for identified projects, and establish an
implementation strategy.Specifically, the groups cited above, working in
synergy and perhaps with the technical support of APPEM should:
1)
Create
a scholarship scheme for the promotion of professional education in Mbum land
2)
Create
occasional vocational training centre for professions such as plumbing, and
enterprise creation not available in standard vocational training centres.
3)
Professionalised
the potential revenue generating sporting and cultural activities of Mbum land
4)
Develop a Career
Orientation and Education Mentoring Centre in Mbum land to provide
up-to-date information about professional education through radio
communication, print documentation and oral discussions.
12.
Conclusion
Professional education;
technical education and vocational training results in job creation and job securing.
This reduces some of the ills, like prostitution, gambling and theft,
associated to unemployment and poverty. Until we do what we have never done, we
cannot get what we have never gotten. Professional Education is
Employment focused and job oriented,
A prerequisite for growth and progress,
A condition Sin Qua Non for poverty
alleviation,
A necessary and sufficient condition for
development,
The preordained corridor to emergence in
Mbum land and
Thus, the Surest Way to Make Heaven,
Because “in times of
universal deceit; telling the truth will be a revolutionary acts (George
Orwell)”, I hereby launch a revolution, by tell you the truth; the truth that
our parents, our politicians and our clergymen deceived us and we followed the
wrong course of education. Today some still want to deceive us further to join
them in playing blame games. I appeal to you to assess them using the Assessor and say NO to cloudy educational paths, and choose professional education the
pre-ordained corridor to emergence in Mbum land.
The time to act is now;
The person to act is you;
The action to take is to
pursue professional education;
The action to take is sponsor technical
education and vocational training.
Long live the APPEM;
Long live the Mbum people;
Long live ECCF
Long live Ndu Council;
Long live the Republic of Cameroon
13.
Definition of Concepts Use
in the Presentation
Concepts use in this presentation are void of
classical definitions which, for the most part, are not applicable to
developing countries, talk less of rural areas like Mbum Land. I have made use
of contextualised definitions proposed by indigenous writers and home-grown
professionals.
i. Emergence: Emergence in the context of Mbum land
refers to an upward and forward leap in the Socio-Cultural, Economic and
Political status of our beloved home town. Specifically, this refers to a plan
and action process by which the Wimbum community will metamorphose through
industrialisation, agrarian reforms, academic revolutions, technological
advancement and cultural tidy up, resulting in improved living standards. It
would also mean drastic change in the
attitude and mind sets of our youths. Emergence would also require
alteration in our perception so that there is no CPDM road or SDF water.
ii. Mbum Land: Mbum land shall refer the
Wimbum community of Donga Mantung Division in the North West Region of
Cameroon. It shall also generically represent the Mbum people who occupy the
Nkambe Plateau covering the Nkambe central and Ndu sub divisions. It
encompasses the Warr, Yah and Tang clans, cutting across the 33 Mbum villages,
without distinction of party lines, gender, religious alignment or development
schools of thoughts.
iii.
Poverty: World Bank (2002) defines poverty as the state or fact
of being in want. That is the lack of material and financial resources to
satisfy people's needs, people are poor if they lack enough income to live
adequately by the accepted living standard of the community.
I associate poverty with inadequate
financial and material resources, ignorance, and inability to reason logically,
cumulating in dejected living standards. In this light, we consider that
poverty in Mbum land exist in both forms; Absolute Poverty (as in the inability to afford basic needs of food;
shelter and clothing, talk less of quality education) and Relative Poverty (as in the living standard of the Mbum people as
compare to other tribes like the Nso
people, the Yamba, And the Mankon People).
iv.
Professional Education: Dr Nick Ngwanyam defined professional
education as “theoretical studies + skills + character + expert knowledge +
wisdom; which leads to creative thinking and productivity”. In addition, we shall also see professional
education as the “learning” which generate skills and expert knowledge in the
learner so much so that the learner is able to earn a living either by securing
a job or creating one, thanks to the skills or expert knowledge acquired
thereof. In this regard, professional education spans from vocational training,
through technical education, to the classical professional education.
v. Stagnation
& Underdevelopment:
Stagnation is the stage in an economic cycle in which little, no growth or
decline occurs. While, Underdevelopment is closely associated with the
so-called dependency school, and it indicates a belief that in the world or
country economy there are centrifugal
forces at work, strengthening the position of the already rich core while
keeping the periphery poor and in a state of permanent underdevelopment.
vi. Unemployment:
Gemuh E. Vekeblegah (2009) holds unemployment is a social disease
cause by ignorance and human development that leads to gross irresponsibility.
Its rate, Gemuh holds, is a balance
sheet of the change we did not believes
or invest in. I will add that unemployment in Mbum land and amongst Mbum
youths is the presence of youths without jobs because they are not qualify for
one or cannot create one.
14.
The Assessor
That I presented “going professional” on
Sky FM,
I will tell them that I founded and funded
APPEM,
That APPEM sensitised Mbum pupils in Ndu West,
Educated hundred other pupils in part of Ndu
town,
And that I made this presentation at the
ECCF 2014;
What will you tell them was your main
contribution,
In promoting professional education in Mbum
land?
Dr Nick will say he offered professional training
to many,
As a medical doctor and health lecturer for
all and sundry,
He funded a mega 85-million FCFA
scholarships scheme,
For the professional education our Mbum
youths on merit,
As a business tycoon, a philanthropist, and
a realistic politician,
What will you tell Mbum people, was your major contribution,
In promoting professional education in Mbum
land and beyond,
As a business magnet and Mayor for Nkambe
council,
As a pedagogue and chief executive head of
Ndu council,
As a contractor and Member of Parliament
for Nkambe,
As a retired teacher and Member of
Parliament for Ndu,
As a intellectual and senator of the
republic of Cameroon
What will you tell Mbum people, was your major contribution,
In promoting professional education in Mbum
land and beyond,
As business guru, elite politician and
regional delegate
As a decent elite, an engineer and director
of exploration
As contractor, secretary of state, board
chair and politician
As an educationist, financial controller
and secretary of state
As administrators colonels, captains,
commanders, commissioners
What will you tell Mbum people, was your major contribution,
In promoting professional education in Mbum
land and beyond,
As pedagogues, elite; politician and
divisional delegate,
As a pedagogue; politician and pillar of
Islamic Education,
As contractor, bulldozer; elite, and new
generation politician,
As directors; managers, principals; bursars
and head teachers,
As pastor, imams, Fons, sub chiefs, Ardors,
sarkis, and Chaplins
What will you tell Mbum people, was your major contribution,
In promoting professional education in Mbum
land and beyond,
Tatah Emmanuel Bantar
President
Association for the Promotion of Professional
Education in Mbum Land
(APPEM)
End!
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
