A tour to some schools in Yaounde reveals that students with special needs are effectively attending classes with other students.

It is 7:00 a.m. on Monday September 14, 2015 at the Government Bilingual High School in Nkol-Eton, Yaounde. The Principal of the School, Mrs Clémentine Onambélé Bindzi, makes her way into the school premises where she meets Vitalis Kapjip, a blind Form Two Bilingual series student, standing in front of the administrative block. Mrs Onambélé Bindzi opts to take Vitalis to his classroom which is about 100 metres away on a storey building. Vitalis Kapjip quickly tells the principal that he can find his way to his classroom while adding “at the moment I am waiting for the Monday morning general assembly before going to my classroom.” Clementine Onambélé Bindzi says the reaction of Vitalis shows the remarkable extent to which students with special challenges are coping while studying in an environment that is not very adaptable to their conditions. 

Through a circular signed by the ministries in charge of Social Affairs, Secondary and Basic Educations, disabled students have been able to gain admission into different schools in the country irrespective of their conditions. In a school with two blind students, two students on wheelchairs or crouches and over 30 deaf and dumb students, Vitalis says he has no problem carrying out his studies. Just like other blind students at Nkol-Eton High School, Vitalis copies his notes in Braille, his examination papers are translated from Braille before being corrected. The Social Affairs Coordinator at the Nkol-Eton High School, Carolle Alima says no fees or obligatory payment is asked from students with special needs.

Because of the lack of sign language teachers, the Social Affairs Coordinator says teachers have been advised to stand in front of the classroom when giving lectures. This is to enable the deaf and dumb students to understand and take down notes from the special reading of their lips. However, this is not the case, Arlette Sophie Ojomo Tsimi, a Form Three German deaf and dumb student indicated. Arlette Sophie says teachers have the tendency to speak while moving around the classroom; they are not able to understand what is greatly said in class since they are not able to read his lips. Although students with special needs say they have little or no major problem, those on wheelchairs or crouches highlight the problem of  going to their classroom as well as moving around the school premises. While some of them are assisted by classmates, others like Wilfrick Jatsa, a Form Three Student at Government Bilingual High School Etoug-Ebe Yaounde, is assisted by his brother. The school’s administration says they still need money to adapt the environment to those who face challenges moving.