At end of 14th Ordinary Session: NW Regional Assembly offers school items to students, schools.

The items including computers, printers and accessories, school bags, books, and certificates of excellence were handed over to the students and representatives of various institutions on Wednesday, September 18. This was during event staged in Bamenda.

The donation took place during the closing ceremony of the 14th Ordinary Session of the North West Regional Assembly.

The session held under the theme: "Review of 2021-2024 project performance and consolidation of 2024 investment projects".

During the handing over ceremony, over 32 computers, printers and accessories were handed over to some institutions while 2,000 school bags were distributed to the beneficiary students.

Other items donated included 20,000 books and 103 certificates of excellence.

Persons with disabilities not left out

Amongst the students who benefited from the donations were needy students and persons living with disabilities.

A total of 2,700 birth certificates were handed over to some needy students who could not afford, or who have misplaced theirs, as a result of the ongoing Anglophone crisis.

Computers and gadgets for hearing impairments and others were handed over to the Bamenda I Inclusive Education Centre.

Back-to-school messages re-echoed 

The session which came at the start of the 2024/2025 academic year also witnessed several calls from authorities, demanding parents and education stakeholders to make sure children go to school.

According to the President of the North West Regional Assembly, Professor Fru Angwafo III, education is imperative for everyone and cannot be tempered with.

"Education is the business of everyone including learners, teachers, parents and the administrator because when you educate a child you have dividends, which is beneficial to everyone. So, education is not something we should toy with...," Prof Fru Angwafo III said.

In his speech, North West Governor, Adolphe Lele L'afrique, who represented the state, congratulated the regional councillors, education stakeholders and parents for contributing enormously for the success of the last school year. 

The Governor also challenged the entire population not to be distracted by those propagating school boycott messages.

"The excellent results recorded at all levels in all examinations organised during the last academic year, placing the North-West Region high up the academic ladder of excellence have only come to shame the detractors. I am therefore urging each and every one not to be distracted by these misguided fellows," Governor Adolphe Lele said.

Statistics on school resumption 

During the session, the Regional Delegate of Secondary Education for the North West, Mbaijong Ezekiel, revealed that a total of 12,494 students answered present during the first week of the new school year.

The Divisional statistics presented by the Regional Delegate dating September 13, 2024, places Donga Mantung at the top, with 7,263 students. Momo Division was ranked bottom place, with zero attendance.

The 14th Ordinary Session of the North West Regional Assembly ended with some resolutions. Several projects were proposed to be realised in 2025, pending final scrutiny and publication during the next session.

Amongst some of the resolutions taken during the session was the launching of the North West Development Investment Fund, NOWEDIF, scheduling a constituent General Assembly, engaging with experts on peace building to improve the Peace and Development Initiative project and others.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3235 of Friday September 20, 2024