Authorities say this is to make up for lost time at the beginning of this academic year.

Chief Professor Samson Abangma, Registrar of the University of Buea, UB, told Cameroon Tribune last Saturday that some 8,000 applications were received this year requesting admission into the seven faculties and colleges. The UB operates the Faculties of Arts, Education, Health Sciences, Science, social and Management Sciences, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Engineering and Technology, the College of Technology, and the Advanced School of Translation and Interpreters (ASTI).

Professor Abangma says the university resumed for 2011-2012 academic year since last 16 September with the writing of the entrance examination into ASTI. He, however, blames the late start of freshmen this year, on the indiscipline of old students who disrupted classes last academic year. The Registrar decried of extending that those students went ahead to disrupt the Senate meeting on 11 August on grounds of delay in payment of Presidential Excellence Award to meritorious students.

On that score, more than 6,000 UB students benefitted from the Presidential grant of FCFA 300 Million, and while the banks were sorting out payments of another installment, the students hurriedly went on the rampage, he regretted. However, some difficulties still await the UB especially in the area of student accommodation. The institution has so far acquired lodging for only 100 students with priority to the handicapped and girls. The situation has in the past prompted the university authorities to go into negotiations with private landlords around Molyko in order to reduce rents for students to enable regular payment.

This time around, UB has gone further to enter a deal with a South African firm to construct 5,000 rooms in the Molyko campus. Professor Abangma was confident that the project would start soon and will be a relief to the expected 16,000 student population, old and new, awaited this year. Although UB remains the smallest State university in terms of numbers, a financial squeeze, due to their disproportionate growth, still lies ahead. With the delay, authorities are contemplating the available option of extending this academic year to August 2012 in order to cover their syllabuses.