2nd edition of CMR Std Challenge to focus on decentralization

The Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance (FEICOM) and the National and Foreign Press Observatory (OPEN), all organizers of the Cameroon Students Challenge (CSC) – a brain trust for knowledge innovation – on Thursday October 2, disclosed that the 2014 edition of the challenge will dwell on decentralization in Cameroon.

Speaking to reporters at news conference in Yaounde, the organizers said only masters students who shall constitute themselves in groups will participate in the brain trust.

Each of the groups, according to OPEN’s spokesperson Nta Bitang, will be sponsored by any of Cameroon’s over 300 municipal councils. “Students can constitute a group and seek support from a council or a council can decide to constitute its own group of students,” Bitang stated.

Designed for young people, the CSC is a brain trust for knowledge innovation with the motto; “Youths are Ingenious.” The challenge’s main goal is to detect, valorize and promote bright, talented and ingenious students.

For this second edition scheduled to hold in Yaounde, FEICOM whose mission is to support and promote local development, intends with the support of councils to focus young student’s reflection on decentralization in Cameroon.

According to the Law on the Orientation of Decentralization in Cameroon, the essential objectives of the process are to enable the populations concerned to become resolutely involved in defining and managing affairs of their regional and local authorities; foster and promote the harmonious development of regional and local authorities on the basis of national solidarity, regional potential and inter-regional balance. But analysts argue that the decentralization stuff in Cameroon is still a complete farce.

The participants – young and vigorous – whom President Paul Biya had earlier challenged to dare, innovate and create will have to talk decentralization in their respective councils before a jury composed of Cameroon’s best intellectuals and decentralization stakeholders. The best three groups for this CSC special edition- 40th anniversary of FEICOM will bag home several prizes awards and bonuses.

The 7-day competition shall run from November 28 – December 4 at the campus of the Higher Teachers Training College (ENS) Yaounde. As mentioned earlier, participants will be master students in state universities and private institutes of higher learning.

The first edition of CSC, an initiative of OPEN took place last year in Buea with the University of Buea emerging as grand winner and University of Yaounde II as runner up.