Buea Prison School Receives Gabonese Students

The 21st board of directors' meeting of the Buea-based National School for Penitentiary Administration (ENAP) has resolved to review its curriculum to meet international demands.

Mr. Jerome Doh Penbaga, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice in charge of the Penitentiary Administration, made the announcement to the press on 21 June, 2013 in Buea after chairing the deliberations.

He explained that, with the Gabonese batch of 10 already under training in Buea and opening the way for five other countries, it was high time the institution thought of expanding to meet multi-national intake. Another major decision required for the pre-independence institution, ENAP Buea, will be for the State to scout for funds to construct a modern campus at its new site in Lysongo near Muea in Buea.

Some 30 hectares were made available for ENAP in Lysongo over a decade ago to decongest its central town location near Clerks' Quarters. The ENAP's computer laboratory will be reinforced to ensure foreign students are able to connect with their home countries through the net. More and more, Cameroon's expertise in penitentiary Administration is solicited abroad as some 15 prison administrators from Cameroon are currently serving with the United Nations in Cote D'Ivoire and Central African Republic.

"The UN has even made a request for more and such solicitation has to be valued and satisfied accordingly," Doh Penbaga explained. The Secretary of State revealed that many more prisons will, in the near future, be built in Cameroon to the ratio of a prison for every Court of First Instance or High Court to better cater for this group of people who need reformation and to curb the crowded prisons.

In another vein, ENAP-Buea is awaiting funds to align itself to the rest of Buea with a new coat of and paint and innovation on its structures anticipating the celebration of the 50thanniversary of reunification especially as the school stands tall near the ceremonial grounds of the event.