Some 50 students from the seven sub-divisions of Mezam division, in the North West region have received prizes from the Senator of the area, Prof Nebah Ndosiri Bridget for their outstanding performance last academic year.
The laureates were awarded at a ceremony on Friday September 6, 2024 – now annually organised – at the Council Hall of Bamenda I municipality-chaired by the Governor of the North West region, Adolphe Lele Lafrique.
Beneficiaries received school materials and cash prizes ranging from FCFA 25,000 to 50,000. The benefactor Prof Nebah who was elected into the Senate from the North West region in March 2023 said her academic excellence award is for schoolchildren who scored best grades in the last academic year. «I want to first of all congratulate all the students who made it in the exams with distinction,» she said. Here, school-going has been slow, because of the separatists› school boycott agenda. Drug abuse and teenage pregnancies seem to have taken over, and the senator is worried about the bad situation. «I also want to encourage the students to keep away from all deviant behaviors such as drug consumption and unwanted pregnancies that can jeopardies their education,» she beseeched the schoolchildren. She encouraged those not yet attending school to return to the classrooms. And the parents to «send their children to school come September 9, 2024 (school resumption)».
During this second edition of her excellence award, both boys and girls bagged prizes. The schoolchildren succeeded amid challenges of insecurity among others.
«The numerous ghost towns and gunshots did not deter you from taking your studies seriously. Keep breaking barriers,» the senator said as he addressed the recipients. Some of the benefactors scored 11 A’s at the O-level and 5 A’s at A-level. For the North West Governor, the results «remarkable» because of the conditions forced on the students by the eight-year drawn-out security crisis.
Ngum Joy Fuh, 17, who scored 25/25 points at the A-level and would read medicine in the University of Bamenda threw flowers at the Senator for her philanthropic act. «I am very happy and thankful to the senator. It has really boosted me,» she said.
Jude VIBAN
