Staffing still sticking point

Some schools in the same regions do not have teachers in particular subjects while others have more than they require.

The decision by the Ministries of Secondary and Basic Education in 2007 to henceforth post or transfer teachers to Regional Delegations instead of directly to schools was commended at the time by various stakeholders as the right thing to do.

This was more so as the tendency hitherto was for everything to be done from the centre, with little or no consideration for field realities. The result was that schools in certain areas went without teachers while others had more than they fair share of teaching staff.

It was imagined at the time of the decision that regional educational officials were in a better position to understand the staffing situation in their areas and would therefore only post transferred or newly graduated teachers to schools with felt needs.

Revisiting the raison d’être of this policy decision today sounds like child play. Eight years on, the policy continues to suffer the same abuses noticed under the defunct system whereby teachers were transferred or posted directly to schools by ministries; especially those moving from one region to another. The consequence has been the recurrent problem of understaffing and overstaffing in elementary schools and colleges.

Yet,It is commonplace these days to find public primary schools with two or even three teachers in some classes in Yaounde and other major cities. In these same regions, many elementary schools have only the Head Teacher as official staff; with the rest being Parent Teacher Association, PTA teachers. Because of staff shortfalls, some teachers handle two or three classes, thereby compromising efficiency and productivity.

The situation is not any different in State-run secondary and high schools, especially in rural areas.In one Government Bilingual High School in Yaounde whose Anglophone section was on up to Form Three last academic year, there were more than 10 Geography teachers! Meanwhile, Government High School Anyajua in Belo Subdivision, Boyo Division of the North West Region, did not have a single Geography teacher throughout the 2014/2015 academic year. Many colleges go without teachers in particular subjects for years, while in the same regions, other schools literally overflow with teaching staff.

Tackling this problem head-on will to a large extent determine the success of the 2015/2016 school year. ‘Redistributing’ teachers equitably to all schools is therefore a necessity and urgency. But those who understand why the problem still persists know very well that putting an end to it will not be easy.

Influence-peddling is so enrooted in our society that posting or transferring the spouses and relatives of ‘big’ people to ‘needy’ schools requires daredevil courage from Regional Secondary and Basic Education authorities. Failing which, some schools and colleges will continue to groan in lack while others – in the same regions – bask in their surplus numbers.