Panic in schools as minister dismantles corruption networks

Anxiety has gripped Principals and teachers of Government Secondary and High Schools across Cameroon, following the recent decisions by the Minister of Secondary Education, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, to fire some key Directors and Sub-Directors in the Ministry. The sacked Directors and Sub-Directors had formed a corrupt cabal specialised in the promotion and transfer of teachers.

Meritocracy at MINSEC had long been sacrificed on the altar of kickbacks. Because of the falling standards in Education and the rampant corruption in MINSEC, President Biya mandated Ngalle Bibehe to clean the filthy house and dismantle the corruption networks before it infects young Cameroonians, who have been placed under the Ministry to be formed both morally and intellectually.

The on-going sweeping and unprecedented changes is to achieve this objective. The MINSEC boss took Principals by storm when he suspended the annual Regional transfer of teachers, which Regional Delegates have reportedly transform the exercise into money-making ventures. It was equally through Regional transfers that many teachers committed adultery with their Regional Delegates just to avoid being transferred to schools in remote areas.

On July 4, the Minister shocked the Education family when he sacked several Directors, including the ‘all powerful’ Ondoua Messi, who was Director in charge of Secondary Education in MINSEC. Few days after, many Sub-Directors in the Central Administration and Regional Delegates were also fired.

One of the Sub-Director who was sacked was Nyemb, who was equally in charge of Secondary Education. Nyemb is Minister Ngalle Bibehe’s tribesman and was reportedly parading himself in the Ministry as untouchable.

In fact, Messi and Nyemb had arrogated too much power to themselves and were often referred to as ‘Director of Promotion and Transfer in MINSEC.

Punitive Transfer Of Principals Envisaged

As the on-going cleaning continues, the Minister has ordered all Principals of Government Secondary and High schools to suspend admission of new students into Form 1 and Lower sixth until August 15. Though no official reason was given by the Minister for the decision, a dependable source at MINSEC told The Post that Minister Ngalle Bibehe will publish the list promoting and transferring Principals and Vice Principals before August 15.

Our source explained that the MINSEC boss wants admission of students to be done by the new Principals or those who will be maintained in their posts. “Urban areas are not reserved only for particular Principals or Vice Principals,” Minister Ngalle Bibehe had warned.

Chasing Ghost Vice Principals, Teachers

The Post also learnt that the Minister is targeting some famous schools in Douala and Yaounde that have over 25 Vice Principals, who are mostly women and are not always on duty.

Some of these Vice Principals and other young female teachers, our source alleged, paid some authorities at MINSEC carnally to maintain their positions or to avoid being transferred to remote areas. One of the sacked Sub-Directors was said to be a notorious sex glutton with female teachers, including married women, desperately seeking promotions or transfers.

The Minister is also working hard on the transfer of teachers from schools in urban centres where there are often in excess to those in rural areas to solve the problem of shortages of teachers. Over the years, teachers often run away from the rural areas and bribe their way into institutions in urban centres.

Before the massive transfer of Principals and teachers, our source in MINSEC also disclosed that there is an on-going operation to send home all Principals who are due retirement. “There are several Principals who are due retirement, but have been conniving with some Directors to stay on,” our source stated.

The Corruption Networks

It is an open secret in MINSEC that a classroom teacher can pay FCFA 300,000 to be promoted as Discipline Master or Chief of Works. The amount differs when a Discipline Master wants to be promoted to a Vice Principal and a Vice Principal to a Principal.

Field agents, have over the years been recruited and dispatched to different Regions of the country to look for ‘customers’ among teachers of Government Secondary and High schools.

Some of the agents also have sub-agents amongst teachers in the different areas. It is alleged that some Directors in MINSEC took advantage of late Minister Bapes Bapes old age and tricked him into signing many transfers out of the normal periods.

It is also alleged that Minister Bapes Bapes used to collect his own share of the money that some of his subordinates received as bribes for the promotion and transfer of Principals, Vice Principals and teachers.