Some institutions in Douala were re-sealed and authorities detained for breaking the seal.

Littoral’s Regional Commission in charge of the closure of clandestine schools is on the rails again. After shutting down some 49 clandestine schools in the secondary education sector on August 14 and18, the commission is bent on accomplishing its mission. The crackdown on the schools took another twist on September 11 and 12 in the economic capital that landed some school authorities in police custody.

Some of the sealed clandestine schools did not only carry on with registration behind closed doors, but equally opened their doors on September 8^th as any other authorised school. Unfortunately for the schools, the Regional Commission was on a control tour. In the premises of some sealed schools visited, the Commission instantly ordered that the children be sent home and institutions re-sealed. While naive students took it for a fun time show, those of examination classes quickly measured the repercussions. For some students, getting admission into government institutions during school reopening is out of question, while tuition fee in some legal private schools are exorbitant.

As the re-sealed news spread from mouth to ear, other sealed schools kept watch while receiving lectures behind closed doors. Before the Regional Commission arrived at Institute du Savoir Appliqué situated at ‘Village’ in the Douala III municipality, on September 12, the campus was deserted while school neighbours attest effective classes were going on before the delegation’s arrival. In another school in the same council area, school authorities ushered out students through the back door five minutes before the delegation’s arrival.

According to Littoral’s Delegate for Secondary Education, Emile Yomkil, breaking the seal is challenging the government. “Some sealed institutions took the laws into their hands by breaking government seal. Reopening the schools without permission is unacceptable. It is exactly a month since the schools were sealed which was enough time for parents to seek admission for their children in legal private schools.

If parents went ahead and registered their children in sealed schools, they are accomplices. The crackdown continues,” the Delegate noted. Some of the stubborn clandestine schools re-sealed include Staff College at Newtown, Institute Sainte Gabrielle at Bilongue and Institute Islamique Polyvalent Modern in Oyack whose authorities are still under police custody.