Lukong Pius Nyuylime
7 May 2008
Perhaps the time has come to put an end to the disorder that has hitherto existed in the book and carton production sector. Actors, including importers of books and other paper materials, wholesalers, owners of supermarkets and officials of the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development, met in Yaoundé yesterday in an important workshop to compare and contrast norms existing in other countries so as to build up standards for Cameroon.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development, Jean-Pierre Kedi, who presided at the workshop, situated the event in its rightful context. The Cameroonian market, he said, is witnessing a very disturbing situation where books of very poor quality continue to invade the market. School books, toilet tissues, table napkins, and many others, he said, are major victims.
According to Charles Tiam Foka, expert in quality management and Director of standards at the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development, the situation was already getting out of hand. "We find exercise books in the market on which the number of pages indicated on the back do not correspond with the page content", he deplored. The books sold in the market today, he said, are of very poor quality. That is why children hardly use them for long. "Why must we fabricate books meant for children and render them so fragile", he wondered. Some use effigies of public figures such as Eto'o on the back of the exercise books without the authorisation of the people concerned. The consequences are many. Such pictures are real detractors for children. Imagine a child who sees the other with an "Eto'o exercise book whereas his parents have provided him with one that do not bear such a picture? Of course, total disappointment.
To come out with palpable results, the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development, has created a Technical Committee to assemble all the proposals. The hopes remain high on seeing a decision signed to that effect stating clearly what standards to respect in the fabrication of paper material. But its implementation must be strictly followed up for, today, of the 300 standards existing in Cameroon, barely 21 are being applied.
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