Yaounde: First-ever centre to treat students, teachers with visual impairments inaugurated.

The Vision Centre, located at the premises of the Centre Regional Delegation of Secondary Education in Yaounde, was inaugurated Friday December 1.

It was constructed and equipped by the State with facilitation of the international humanitarian organisation, Helen Keller International. 

The inauguration ceremony was graced by the presence of the Regional Director of Helen Keller International for East, South and Central Africa, Volkan Cakir.

Centre to boost performance 

Speaking during the event, Minister Nalova Lyonga, said the centre is geared towards boosting the performances of not just students, but teachers as well. 

According to the member of government, the performances of students and teachers are intrinsically linked to the state of their health, including eye care. 

“We should know that there is a connection between an individual’s performance and the state of health. The Ministry of Secondary Education is so aware of this,” the minister said.

The member of government added that: “We want to make sure that teachers have the opportunity to go somewhere where they can have immediate attention once it concerns the eyes”. 

She also recognised the Centre Regional Delegate for Secondary Education, Ndemba Sidonie, for her energy and leadership in effecting her duties and implementing instructions towards improving education. 

While stressing on the need for the creation of more of such Vision Centres across the country, Prof Nalova Lyonga charged her collaborators in the Regions to take upon themselves to initiate similar projects in their jurisdictions. 

She further recommended that such centres be near MINESEC regional delegations to ensure proper supervision and sustainable management. 

Helen Keller Intl Regional Director briefing minister Nalova

Centre in line with clean school policy

According to Minister Nalova, the creation of Vision Centres in the country is in line with government’s policy of Clean School, which are already bearing significant fruits. 

“Teachers and students should come here to fix their eyes. You should have clean sight. It is not because you teach that you should go blind,” she said.

Assuring that her ministry will ensure that teachers have their eyes checked at least once a year at the centre, Minister Nalova Lyonga called on her collaborators at the inaugurated centre to ensure that the whole procedure of eyes screening and getting glasses should not be laborious. 

“Children should be able to have their eyes checked as quickly as possible,” Prof Nalova enjoined.   

The construction of the Vision Centre stems from results obtained from the Bright Sight project being implemented in Cameroon by the Helen Keller International.

An operational research carried out by Helen Keller International revealed that there is a limited availability of public and private clinics offering eye care services, which severely inhibits access to care. 

Even when eye health facilities are present, the cost of services are often prohibitive, and eye care is therefore inaccessible for the majority of families, and particularly for children. 

The study also shows refractive errors represent the most common eye issue among school-age children in Cameroon. 

Volkan Cakir poses with students after donation of eye glasses

Enter Helen Keller Int’l Regional Director 

Also speaking at the ceremony, the senior Helen Keller International official, Volkan Cakir, said the centre will help to diagnose eye refractive errors of especially students, considered one of the causes of poor performances in school. 

“The centre will enable screening and diagnosing and taking charge of these errors so that the students can continue with their studies and even perform better,” Volkan said. 

According to Volkan, government’s desire to decentralise the centre to other Regions, as expressed by the Secondary Education boss, is an important investment for the country’s future.