Grade One holders are working hard to complete files for another recruitment drive.

Grade One Parent Teacher Association, PTA, teachers in the South West Region are now in frenzy, files in hand as the move from one office to another. This is as a result of a new recruitment recently launched by the Ministry of Basic Education, MINEDUB, for 2016 after this year’s exercise that sparked off much controversy. 

The recent exercise saw the recruitment of 210 teachers for the South West Region who have all been posted to the six administrative divisions according to need. The major difficulty for both recruited and those in process is to obligatorily make the journey to Buea for a medical certificate at the Regional Hospital. The question on every lip is why the various District Hospitals could not be associated to deliver medical certificates for the purpose?

The Regional Delegate for Basic Education for the South West, Ebai Maurice, yesterday, May 25, 2015, maintained sealed lips to Cameroon Tribune’s request for an interview on the on-going recruitment as well as the posting of those already recruited. He however took the reporter to the Notice Board where the various postings of the 210 PTA teachers were displayed. As at yesterday, most of the recruits in the South West had completed their files and were about to hand them for assumption of duty, though not without hurdles. Of the 14 documents required, one major difficulty was obtaining a medical certificate at the Regional Hospital in Buea.

One of the teachers who sought anonymity, expressed dismay that the journey to Buea had been expensive and superfluous. But within the administrative circles, the fear hinges on fake medical certificates often obtained without thorough examination in some health units. However, the rest of the documents, including family status, can be done locally. Such teachers have to undertake to stay in the same school for at least five years before any transfer. The newly recruited teachers for the South West Region yesterday began an orientation seminar at the Government Practising School, Muea, Buea, which is to run till Friday, May 29, 2015. They are being drilled on pedagogic skills, classroom management, capacity-building, gender approach to learning, multiple-grade teaching and inclusive education.

Meanwhile, the new recruitment currently underway in the country has sent a wave of Grade One teachers’ certificate holders journeying up and down the South West Region to complete their files before the 30 May, 2015 deadline. Observers say it is another chance for those who missed this year’s exercise.