G.S. BANGANG
Unlike many other communities that ICA Canada supports, the Fondem of Bangang only has one primary school. In 2013, ICA visited G.S. Bangang to announce the building of two new classrooms. Only upon arrival did the group of ICA volunteers fully understand the need to fund the new project. Nearly 400 pupils, ages five to eleven, sat in a dilapidated mud hut divided into six classrooms. The teaching staff numbered but four, including the headmaster Ntsou Rudolf Kendo.
| Headmaster | Ntsou Rudolf Kendo |
|---|---|
| Number of Teachers | 3 Gov’t, 1 PTA |
| Number of Pupils | 420 – 226 boys, 194 girls |
| 2014 Graduation Rate | 31/31, 100% |
| Construction Year | 2015 |
Undeterred, G.S. Bangang boasted a 90-95% graduation rate with no drop-outs. Their passion for education was already overcoming all the odds. This success story further inspired ICA to quickly begin its work. Soon after ICA’s visit, the first shipment of textbooks, workbooks and uniforms arrived.
“These communities [of Bangang] wish to express their profound gratitude to you, CIC Cameroon and ICA Canada, for the following wonderful gifts given [to us], which are like manners from Heaven: uniforms, textbooks on major subjects like math, English and French, [and] workbooks… Sir, the above cited gestures of yours have greatly improved the peoples’ lives in education…”
– Fon of Bangang (2015)
In February 2015, a group from ICA re-visited Bangang to donate teaching aids and found that the construction of the two classrooms was well underway. The community and the Fon (Chief) were highly supportive and organized several community work days where everybody contributed to clearing the land and bringing the necessary material to the site. The ICA delegation was also pleased to discover the continuing success of the school. The 2014 graduation rate improved to 100% and this year’s (2014-15) attendance increased to 420 pupils.
The classrooms and latrines were completed in the spring of 2015.
