Society

Over 246,000 children still out of school in NW, SW - UN.

Partial view of a classroom set ablaze in restive regions

The United Nations, UN, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, has revealed that some 246,000 children in the restive North West and South West Regions of the country, are still unable to go to school.
The figures are contained in a recent release of the organisation. OCHA blames the situation on persistent insecurity in the two English-speaking Regions.

The organisation, however, talks of a more improved security situation that has resulted in a little boost in school attendance compared to previous years in the crisis.

Going by the report, 54% of schools in the North West and South West Regions are still shut, with an estimated 41%, that is 2,875 out of 6,970 still not functional.

According to OCHA, the reason behind the schools still not functional is unconnected to repeated incidents of attacks targeting especially schools and learners.

OCHA in its recent report noted that in 2023, it documented some 25 incidents of violence against students and schools. The organisation detailed that, in February last year, there were eight attacks and seven others in September of the same year.

Recall that the most recent attack on school children dates back to February 11, 2024. The incident, which resulted from the detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device, IED, around the Nkambe Grandstand in Donga Mantung Division of the North West Region, claimed one life and left over 70 persons injured.

Being one of the deadliest suspected separatist attacks this year, key actors across the board condemned the incident in strong terms.

Among them were: the Head of State, President Paul Biya; the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute and the Bishop of Kumbo, His Lordship George Nkuo. Many diplomatic institutions accredited to Yaounde also condemned the attack.