Brenda Yufeh
24 April 2008
The cacophony hitherto existed in the running of Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) in different public secondary schools in the country will soon be a thing of the past. A circular signed by the Minister of Secondary Education on the 25 of February this year, regulates the functioning of Parents Teachers Associations in public secondary schools in Cameroon. While remodelling the manner in which these associations function, the circular aims at securing PTA money and instilling calm within school premises which had been taken hostage by certain business men who did all what they could to become president of such associations.
Henceforth, not just any person can become a member of a PTA. Only parents who have their children in a school are authorised to become members of that school PTA. According to the Sub-Director for the Management of Public Secondary School, Paul Jerome Nyemb Ntoogue, parents of students will be identified at the time of registration as the receipt will not only carry the name of the students but also the name of the parent charged with following up the student's education as well as his telephone number or address.
Although these associations have to do with parents and teachers, the circular underscores that teachers as well as other school authorities are not allowed to be members of the PTA. Even the principal of a school is not allowed to be a member of the school PTA. The principal can only play the role of a technical adviser. This is to avoid conflict of authority between the principal and other administrative members and teachers of the school.
From now on, all PT Associations will be controlled by the administrative authority of the locality with a representative from a Police Station or Gendarmerie, as well as authorities from the Ministry of Secondary Education and the school authority. Also, the association's money most be put in an account which has the name of the association and the school and not the name of an individual as the case was before now. Unlike before, money collected in PT Associations most help in paying the salaries of PTA teachers, buy school materials, as well as construct or rehabilitate school buildings. But before the money is used for a particular project, Paul Jerome Nyemb Ntoogue says the project most be in conformity with the projects decided by the general assembly of the association and most be spelled out in the budget of the school.
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