The administration of Government Primary School Old Town saluted the efforts of Bamenda City Council and the Ministry of Urban housing and Urban Development building squatting toilets to serve 361 pupils, solving the sanitary system issue which has affected the school environment for months. The provision was made available by these entities through the Debt Reduction and Development Contract (C2D).
Meyof Forkum Agbes, Head teacher of GP.S Old Town I, while appreciating the C2D program for building toilets which has not only brought some sort of comfort but also a conducive environment for learning, pleaded on the Bamenda City Council to also look into the school dilapidated buildings.
"We have six squating holes, three in in each rooms. The toilets are serving 361 pupils and staff. Just beside the new toilet, you see the old one which was already bad. So we appreciate what the C2D program has done for us.They have given us a precious gift. If you look at our school, the buildings, you will see that we are teaching children in dilapidated buildings which doesn't making learning comfortable".
"We are pleading that any other project that is coming here, should look at the school buildings" Meyof Forkum Agnes pleaded.
Providing basic urban facilities such as toilets for pupils in schools has created a conducive environment for teaching, learning and participation according to Madam Akomgwi Loveline who is a teacher at GPS Old Town I.
"I want to thank C2D for the past years we had alot of problems. The pupils deficate anyhow, coupled with the fact that the previous tiolet was full. It was difficult for teachers whose classes were close to the old tiolet to teach comfortably because the old tiolet was full and the smell that came out of it made the environment uncondacive and unhealthy for teachers to teach and students to learn".
"Now with the new tiolet from C2D, we the teachers now feel comfortable teaching" Teacher G.P.S Old Town I enunciates.
The famous Ofiver Twist quote which Says "Please Sir, I want some more" tells & the story of GPS old town I and it's administration expectations of the C2D program whose idea is to ensure that the population has access to basic urban facilities mostly used by pupils, children and the population at large on dialy basis.
Despite the growing quest for more to be done, the Cordinator of the C2D program for Bamenda, Dr. Njeta Bertrand says the implementation of this program has been hampered by the insecurities in the chief town of the North West Region of Cameroon.
"The security context we all know have been a challenging factor. It has hampered to some degree the implementation of this program. We all know that here and there we have roadblocks, ghost towns and because of that contractors take lots of time to buy materials and do work".
"We have other projects that have taken close to two years because of poor of materials supply. So far We hope that projects that we ought to start can be executed in estimated time" Cordinator C2D Program Bamenda Dr.Njeta Betrand elaborates.
The C2D program which has been running in Bamenda for more than two years in all it's municipalities have seen the provision and implementation of urban basic facilities;
-Toilets in schools, playground in Nibung, pedestrian bridges in neighborhoods like Alating I Quarter linking it to Ayaba I Quarter, at Ntaghem I Quater, lighting spots in different neighborhoods and a host of others.
The program has an ongoing program at the municipal slaughter house in mile 4, road projects of about 18m in the future.
It is worth noting that, the C2D program which has been existing in Cameroon since 2006 and Bamenda since 2018 is a corporation which Cameroon has signed with the French government through the French development agency to finance programs that combats poverty and push for economic growth.
Publication: Done by Pechuqui Laurata