Countering Violence in School Milieu

During my upper secondary school years, I resolved never to break the rules and regulations of our school because of the way sanctions for indiscipline were administered. At that time, sanctions were focused on corporal punishment and labor, under harsh conditions, to deter us from repeating an unwanted act. As a result of this established role, I tried my best to stay away from punishment, but I wasn't always successful. The method used to punish us back then was violent since it inflicted pain on us. Due to the effects of this method, I grew up with bitter memories of sanctions.

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The act of sanctioning learners through harsh actions is as old as formal education in Cameroon. Since its introduction during the colonial era, corporal punishment has been transmitted across generations, consciously and/or unconsciously - making it a big challenge in education today. The most troubling part is that this is not the only form of violence observed in our schools today. Some of our education community members have been identified as violence perpetrators in several situations. Some educators, parents, students, and public administrators have committed school-related violent acts, which affect the education system in negative ways, making it relevant to undertake an initiative that will facilitate reflection and the exchange of strategies to mitigate it.  

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Violence in our schools includes physical, psychological, sexual, and other forms. This is because as time passes new forms emerge, making an already dire situation more serious, despite the numerous mechanisms the government has put in place to regulate it. In December 2000, through a circular letter, No 38/B1/1464/MINEDUC/SG/DSAPPS/SDAPPS/SCAA, the minister of education, at that time, instructed education authorities to make schools violence-free and safe for learning. He invited them, through the letter, to inspire learners with non-violence ideas like those initiated by Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Nelson Mandela. Although these directives, alongside other laws on violence, like section 35 of law No 98/004 of 4 April 1998, on the orientation of education in Cameroon, have been put in place, the situation remains appalling.  

During the 2020/2021 academic year, the project, Countering Violence in School Milieu, was initiated in the Adamawa, Littoral, West, and Centre Regions by the Cameroon Fulbright TEA Alumni Association. Through workshops, as part of the project activities, some 200 lead educators were empowered to promote peace in secondary schools. Similarly, the second phase of the project took place in the 2021/2022 academic year in the Far North, North, South, East, North West, and South West Regions. This time, more than 300 lead educators were trained in developing a safe and learning-friendly environment, with some 50 coming from each of these Administrative Regions.

The educators were commissioned and mandated to return from the workshops and set up structures that will enable them to champion programs against school-based violence in their communities. There is no doubt that the project has set a blueprint for combating school-based violence in Cameroon through its 10 key actions that guided the commissioned lead educators or Peace Ambassadors in the cause. It is our wish that schools today are safer for children to be able to exercise their fundamental rights to education thanks to our contributions through the project.  

Yaoundé, October 2021

The Project Director

NTETA Philip NFON