Cameroon’s separatist conflict forces hundreds of thousands of students out of education

Since the beginning of the conflict, separatist fighters initiated and enforced a school boycott as a means to pressure the government for political recognition.

Separatist fighters, opposed to the French-speaking education system organized by the central government, have killed and abducted students and teachers, burned and looted school buildings, and intimidated families into keeping their children out of school, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

“The deliberate targeting of schools and the systemic denial of education because of conflict is nothing short of a catastrophe,” said Hassane Hamadou, NRC’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

“Every day that a child is kept out of school is a day stolen from their future and from the future of their communities,” Hamadou added.

Ndamei had to move to the French-speaking, western region of the country and stay with extended family members in order to continue her education. She is now enrolled in a university nursing program.

“I had the privilege to stay with relatives in regions not affected by the crisis but many of my classmates did not have this opportunity,” Ndamei told The Associated Press.

She said many have become young mothers.

“You see 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds sitting in the house, and before you know it, they are pregnant, their futures are shattered,” Ndamei said. “Parents are frustrated, children are frustrated.”

Nelson Tabuwe from Batibo town in the northwest said his three children — ages 10, 12 and 15 — have been out of school for nearly seven years due to the separatist conflict.

“My last child, Jude Ngam, aspired to be a mechanical engineer. His elder sister, Janet has always wanted to be a medical doctor, and my eldest daughter, Claire, always told me she wants to be a teacher,” Tabuwe told The Associated Press.

The 61-year-old and his family fled the separatist conflict in their hometown and found refuge in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé. The adjustment has been difficult, with the whole family living cramped in a single room with very little money and Tabuwe unable to find a stable job in the capital.

“We came here with nothing,” Tabuwe said.

Since being displaced by the violence, he said, providing for his family has only become more difficult. Tabuwe’s three children, still out of school, have to help their parents make money.