The donation by the Douala II Council will help in the organisation end-of-year examinations.

Some 350 benches were offered to Government Bilingual High School, New-Bell, 100 to Government Primary School, Camp Bertaut and 100 to Government Primary School, New-Bell Bassa, all in Douala. The offer was in response to needs expressed by heads of the institutions to equip empty classrooms and also meet the growing student population.

Meanwhile, stationery, including packets of pens, ledgers, exercise books and chalk, were donated to all public and mission schools of the municipality to complement the ‘Minimum Package’ offered at the beginning of the school year by the State through the Council. Speaking at the handing over ceremony at the Multipurpose Youth Centre in New Bell on April 22, 2015, Mayor Denise Fampou said the council has decided to offer the stationery twice in the academic year. This, she explained, was to enable the schools meet vital material shortages which usually characterise the Third Term, sometimes affecting the organisation of examinations.

“The council has made it a duty to spare no efforts in ensuring quality education for its children,” she disclosed. One of the recipients, Ngwa Sylvester, Assistant Head Teacher of Government English Primary School, New Town Airport, said the gifts came at a time the school highly needed them: “We have been using our money to buy these material. The need for them at this time is usually crucial.”

The Mayor used the opportunity to launch the Most Performant and Clean School Competition. While encouraging massive participation, she pointed out that the competition was opened to public, private and mission schools of the council area. It involves performance in end-of-year examinations and the cleanliness of classrooms, the surroundings (campus, toilets and water points) and neatness of pupils.