Cameroon: New Academic Year Resumes across South West after Two Weeks Separatist-Imposed Lockdown

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon – The new school year has finally taken off across the South West region after a two-week ghost town imposed by non-state armed groups operating in the North West and South West regions, which was aimed at foiling the smooth start of the new academic year across the Anglophone regions.

In cities like Buea, Limbe, and Kumba, schools were teeming with students as classrooms opened their doors once again. The turnout marked a cautious return to normalcy for parents, teachers, and pupils, who had stayed indoors following threats from the armed separatist factions warning against any resumption of activities during their self-imposed lockdown.

“I am relieved that my children can finally go back to school,” a mother of two in Buea said. “But I am still anxious because we never know when the next threat will come.”

Impact on education

The start of the 2024-2025 academic year in Cameroon's North West and South West Regions on September 9, 2024, was greeted by an eerie silence, as the ongoing Anglophone crisis casts a shadow over the education sector. Dubbed ghost towns, the two-week lockdown imposed by separatist groups kept the majority of schools across the regions largely deserted.

In towns like Bamenda and Buea, key educational hubs in the English-speaking regions, schools remained shut as the ghost town order took effect. Businesses were closed, public transportation was almost absent, and parents opted to keep their children at home for safety reasons. The separatists have continued to maintain their stance against the functioning of schools, often threatening those who defy the lockdown orders with violence.

While the resumption of schools brings temporary relief, residents in the South West are calling for a more permanent solution to the crisis. Many believe that the education system, one of the hardest-hit sectors, will continue to be a bargaining chip in the wider political struggle unless meaningful dialogue occurs.

Calls for dialogue

Human rights organizations, civil society groups and religious personnel have also decried the lockdowns as a violation of children’s rights to education, urging the separatist groups to spare schools from their political conflict.

His Grace Andrew Nkea, Archbishop of the Bamenda Archdiocese said: “Teachers, parents, businessmen, motorbike riders, everybody should put hands on deck to ensure that children have a smooth going back to school and that the children can study in a calm, peaceful and quiet atmosphere. This is very, very important for all of us.”

"Education is essential for every individual citizen of this country. And therefore, you can give a man anything in the world. Without education, you have left him empty."

Since the crisis in the North West and South West Regions escalated in 2017, families have fled their homes. They are living as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in other parts of the country, making it difficult for their children to access education. The continued disruption of the academic calendar is taking a heavy toll on the future of children in the Anglophone regions.

Many students have missed years of schooling, while some have dropped out entirely. Education experts warn that if the crisis persists, the North West and South West regions could face a “lost generation” of children with limited educational opportunities and reduced chances for future employment.

As schools resume, the focus is now on making up for lost time. Teachers are adjusting curriculums, and extra classes are planned to help students catch up on missed lessons. Meanwhile, both parents and educational stakeholders are wary, fearing the uncertainty of future lockdowns and the toll they take on the academic progress of students.

While the government has remained firm in its stance to maintain control over the Anglophone regions, the situation on the ground continues to be unpredictable. For now, students in the South West are back in classrooms—but the question remains: for how long?