It was and exceptional day for the people of Olanguina in the Mefou and Afamba Division of the Centre Region on Wednesday October 12. Plan Cameroon, a humanitarian NGO, awarded prizes to some 138 pupils from six primary schools in the Olanguina Council in Assamba Sub division. The award was within the framework of a partnership agreement between Plan Cameroon and the Ministry of Basic Education to guarantee access to primary education to all children by 2015. Despite the synergy of action, the school completion rate still remains low due to social and economic factors. The situation is worse in rural areas where girls are often victims of traditional practices and the lack of awareness on the part of parents on the importance of education.

Speaking during the occasion, the Sub Divisional Officer for Olanguina, Jean Nyebel, called on parents to work hands-in-glove for children’s education. Plan Cameroon officials presented Plan and its vision of a better world for all children, a vision in which education of girls and boys in general, the participation and promotion of excellence in particular is a priority. The project which began in the East Region will involve distribution of prizes to children who work hard in schools in regions of the Plan South Sector (East, Centre and North West) regions. The objective is to encourage children who have worked hard during the last academic year and to set an example for others to follow. Each beneficiary received a kit containing a school bag, pens, exercise books, and a bilingual dictionary.

A total of 5,000 children from 500 schools from the Plan Cameroon regional bureaus of Bamenda, Bertoua and Biteng have been selected for the award. In each school, ten children are selected from among the best two from SIL to CM1 for schools in the French sub system. As for the English sub system, the beneficiaries are the best two from classes 1, 2, 3 and 4.