Dr Mbencho Andrew Tazi(PhD), The Versatile Cameroonian Educationist

Dr. Mbencho Andrew Tazi and wife viewing distinguished principal Award

This edifice in the domain of Secondary Education in Cameroon was born in November, 1958 at Lewoh in the Alou Sub Division in the Lebialem Division of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. He was born of Mbe Tazi and Ngenyi Francisca. He is married to Tazi nee Njimoh Bertha(PLEG).

Awarded by Cameroon Association of School Administrators CASA

As a little boy, Mbencho Andrew Tazi went to the Roman Catholic Mission RCM Primary School Lewoh(Fotabong) where he obtained the First School Leaving Certificate and then moved on to the Saint Paul’s Teachers’ Training College, Bonjongo in Fako Division on the foot of Mount Cameroon where he studied from 1966 to 1971.

Dr. Mbencho Andrew Tazi

 After obtaining the Teachers’ Grade Two Certificate, he moved to the legendary Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology CCAST, Bambili, within the Tuba Municipality in Mezam Division in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. He obtained the General Certificate of Education GCE Advanced Level in 1975 and progressed to the lone State University at the time, the University of Yaounde in Cameroon. Here he obtained a Bachelor Degree in Letters; “Licence en Lettres; option, Economie de Developpement.” This was in 1978. In the 1978-1979 academic year, he studied and obtained a Maitrise en Lettres; option, Economie de Developpement. 

Recently with Mr Francis Ngundu, The Regional Delegate of Secondary Education for the Southwest Region

 In 1983, the learned educationist continued his studies at Sussex College of Technology in England from where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology.

After graduating from the Sussex College of Technology he began a rich career with the Ministry of Education.

While still an under graduate at the University of Yaounde he began his teaching career as a tutor at the Government Secondary School Okola (CES d’Okola) in the Center Province. His stay at GSS Okola in the Lekie Division lasted from 1976 to 1979. From 1979, he was moved as a Professeur du Lycee to Lycee Classique de Bafoussam in the West Province of Cameroon.

The Cultural part of him seen here in the heart of the recent Southwest Cultural Festival

 In 1982 he was again moved to Government High School Yagoua Lycee de Yagoua in the Far North Region of Cameroon. His rich career continued in 1983 at Government High School Kumbo now Government Bilingual High School GBHS Kumbo in Bui Division in the Northwest Region. 

With the Divisional Delegate of Secondary Education for Meme Division,John Akwo Eyoh

1986 saw a major twist in his career when he was appointed as the Deputy Director of theTeachers' Training College known in its French acronym as ENI-ENIA in Bamenda in the Northwest Region. In 1989 he was in an unprecedented move posted to the Southwest Region as the Deputy Director of ENI-ENIA-ENIET in Kumba in Meme Division.

 In 1995 he continued as a School Administrator at Government High School Bangem in the Kupe Muanenguba Division where he worked as Principal of the institution. Between 1997 and 1998 Dr. Mbencho Andrew Tazi was Principal of Government Bilingual High School Fontem in Lebialem Division in the Southwest Region. From 1998 to 1999 he served as the Provincial Chief of Service for Small and Medium Size Enterprises in Bertoua in the East Region.

From 1999 to 2002 Dr. Mbencho Andrew Tazi worked at the Directorate of Human Resources at the Ministry of Education in Yaounde before returning to the Southwest Region to work as Principal of Government High School GHS Kembong in Manyu Division. The next five years of his professional life saw him working as principal of GHS Konye. 

From 2010 till date, he has been working as the Principal of Government Bilingual High School, GBHS Kosala in Kumba. It should be noted that since 1999, Dr. Mbencho Andrew Tazi was graded Professeur des Lycees (PLEG Hors Echelle). To have an insight of Dr. Mbencho Andrew Tazi’s attitude towards his work read an elaborate interview he recently accorded Francis Ekongang Nzante Lenjo on Cameroon School News by clicking the link below.

https://camschoolnews.wordpress.com/category/secondary-schools-in-kumba/



Highlights of his political and social life.

Out of his educational career, Dr. Tazi has occupied leadership positions in various social groupings that touch on his professional, cultural and social backgrounds. They are so many but this report will focus on the highlights of this aspect of his life. Among many positions, he has held the following posts:

-Patron of Lewoh Youths

-Secretary General, Lewoh Cultural and Development Meeting, LECUDEM

-Patron, Alou CPDM Youths’ Association,

-President,Alou Cultural and Development Association, ALCUDA,

-Member of the CPDM Central Committee Delegation for the 1996 Legislative and Council Elections in Lebialem Division,

-Representative of the Administration at several Joint Divisional Supervisory Commissions for Presidential, Legislative and Council Elections in Lebialem Division between 1997 and 2004.

-Coordinator of CPDM Lewoh I and II Joint Subsection Conference on August 18 and 19^th, 2001.

-Guest speaker on “Peace and its importance in Cameroon” being a paper presented to CPDM Militants of Alou Sub Division on the occasion of the 19^th Anniversary of President Paul Biya as Head of State of the Republic of Cameroon,

-Member of the CPDM Central Committee Delegation for the re-organisation of the ruling CPDM Party Basic Organs in Lebialem Division,

-Lebialem Fons’ Representative in Kumba for the mobilization of Lebialem population towards the success of the Municipal and Legislative Elections in Lebialem Division in May and June 2002,

-Coordinator of CPDM Campaigns for the Municipal and Legislative Elections in Lewoh Fondom and Central Committee Delegation member for CPDM Campaigns for Alou Sub Division in June 2002,

-Member of the CPDM Central Committee Delegation for the Presidential Elections in Lebialem Division in October, 2004,

-CPDM Central Committee Resource Personality for Alou Sub Division,

-Decorated Knight of the Cameroon Order of Merit in May 2005,

-CPDM Councillor of Alou Rural Council from 2002 to 2007,

-Secretary General of Bonjongo Ex-students Association, BONEXSA from 2004 to 2008,

-Secretary General of Southwest Elite Association from 2004 to 2006,

-Assistant Secretary General of SWELA from 1994 to 2004,

-Charge De Missions for the Lebialem Divisional Campaign Commission for the 2007 Municipal and Legislative Elections,

-Decorated Knight of the Cameroon Order of Valour in May 2011,

-Charge De Missions for the Lebialem Divisional Campaign Commission for the 2011 Presidential Elections,

-President of Meme Principals' Association since June 2011,

-Charge De Missions,Lebialem Divisional Commission for the Biometric Registration and Vice President for Meme 1B Communal Commission for the Biometric Registration in October 2012,

-Vice President of Meme 1 Communal Campaigns for the Senatorial Elections in April 2013,

-Charge De Missions in Lebialem Campaigns for Parliamentary and Municipal Elections and Vice President for Meme 1B campaigns for Parliamentary and Municipal Elections in September 2013,

-Given the Distinguished Principal Award by Cameroon Association of School Administrators (CASA) in May 2015,

-Received the Award of Palmes Academique by the Ministry of Secondary Education in Yaounde in October 2015,

-Most recently he was the Charge De Missions for the Lebialem Divisional Commission for the re-organization of the CPDM Basic organs in November 2015.

Dr. Mbencho Andrew Tazi has a very rich experience in the domain of seminars and it will be proper to state here that between 1986 and 1999 he acted as Participant and or Presenter at many National and International Seminars including those of the Ministry of Education MINEDUC, USAID, Common Wealth of Nations and other organisations’ sponsored seminars.

As is normal with any great educationist, he has carried out a reasonable number of researches and publications. Some of these works are:

-     Some measures and strategies to Guarantee Discipline in the School Milieu presented at the Southwest Education Sector Conference in Buea in May, 2015.

-     Good School Management presented at the Inspectors and Head Teachers’ Seminar organised by MINEDUC/DPSO/Buea in Kumba in October 1992.

-      Curriculum Development and Evaluation presented the UN-ECA/ Cameroon Seminar on Curriculum Development and Evaluation in Buea in December 1991.

-     Teaching Aids, their use and importance presented at GTTC and Meme Division Teachers’ Seminar organised by MINEDUC/DPSO/Buea in Kumba in January 1990.

-     Pre-Assessment and Instructional Procedures presented at the Grade I Rural Primary School Teachers’ Seminar organised by MINEDUC/USAID/USC in Bamenda in October 1998.

-     Authority and Law in Cameroon Secondary Schools an unpublished Doctoral Thesis presented at the Sussex College of Technology, England in March 1988.

-     Techniques of Evaluation in Primary Schools presented at the Grade III Rural Primary School Teachers’ Seminar organised by MINEDUC/USAID/ in Bamenda in September 1987.

-     Dialogue between E.N.S.Annex Bambili (University of Yaounde) and G.T.T.C. regarding the existing programme and Needs of G.T.T.C.s presented at the G.T.T.C. Faculty In-service Seminar organised by MINEDUC/USAID/USC in Bamenda in February 1987.

-     The New Deal Teacher presented at the 1986 /1987 Launching of the Academic year by G.T.T.C. Bamenda in 1986.

Dr. Tazi in greeting with the Seniour Divisional Officer for Meme, Koulbout Aman David

-     Le Secret du Succes (L’Anglais) aux Lycees. Local Publication in August 1983.

-     Le Secret du Succes (L’Anglais)au Probatoire et au Baccalaureat. Local Publication in 1981.

-     Some Economic Aspects of Pre-Colonial Bangwa. An unpublished Maitrise Dissertation presented at the University of Yaounde, Cameroon in June 1979.

-     The Secret of Success in Life.  The Echo; 1979 Vol.30 No.3

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SABAS Atem Asong: A rare blend of the Educationist and the grass root politician

What attracted Les Gens Du Cameroun to this personality is his tenacity of character in the things that he does. As far back as 1978, this respected son of the Southwest Region has been involved in politics first as an active militant of the defunct Cameroon National Union CNU under President Ahmadu Ahidjo and eventually as an influential militant in the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement-CPDM. 

That aside he has contributed enormously towards efforts in improving the sanity of the Basic Education landscape in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. He is one of those who does the job out in the field and because of his self effacing nature almost goes unnoticed. This is the personality that is being showcased as a Southwest personality in the domains of Basic Education and politics at the level of the Basic Organs of the CPDM in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. He’s one of the many who go unnoticed despite everything that they put in for their communities.

Sabas Atem Asong is the Divisional Delegate of Basic Education for Meme (Peni Hors Echelle) Knight of the National Order of Valour. Sabas Atem began with President Ahmadou Ahidjo’s Cameroon National Union CNU Party in his native Fontem which at the time was part of Manyu Division. At the time he was the Assistant Secretary of the CNU in Manyu. At the level of Fontem Sub Division he was the Secretary of the party. His political life experienced a little study spell which saw him attending the Higher Teacher Training College Bambili, popularly referred to in Cameroon in its French abbreviation as ENS. At this establishment, he still didn’t let go politics as he became the Secretary of the CNU party at ENS Bambili.

With the birth of CPDM he emerged as the Branch President for Fiango North East. This came about with the transformation of CNU into CPDM on August 24, 1985.

As an educationist, Sabas Atem became the Interprovincial Inspector of Anglophone Education in the North of Cameroon in 1987. From 1990 to 1995, he worked in the West Province as the Provincial Inspector for Anglophone Primary Schools, Nursery Schools and Teacher Training.

At the political level, he was in 1997 nominated as Parliamentary candidate, the lone seat for Lebialem Division which was no longer part of Manyu Division. According to his account, his party, the CPDM won the parliamentary seat but the opposition party, the Social Democratic Front SDF was accorded the parliamentary seat after they took CPDM to court.

Back to education, Sabas Atem became the pioneer principal of Government Teacher Training College GTTC Fontem, a post he occupied from the year 2000 to 2005. Meantime the political map of his Division was changing. In 2002, Lebialem was split into three sub-sections and he became Sub Section President for Lebialem 1. Following the party’s re-organisation he was retained as President for Lebialem one.

The most recent re-organisation exercise which took place in 2015 saw him retaining his present position as the CPDM Section President for 18 continuous years.

His educational story continued with him being moved from GTTC Fontem to the post of the Divisional Delegate of Basic Education for Lebialem Division. He worked in this capacity from 2005 to 2013 from where he was re-appointed and transferred to Meme Division.

With so many years of hard work, recognitions started coming in. Three congratulatory messages came in from the Head of State congratulating him for services rendered. They were all signed by the Director of the Civil Cabinet on behalf of the Head of State. Four letters of congratulation have so far come in singed by the Secretary General of the CPDM Central Committee. Two letters of congratulations came in from Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge as Head of the CPDM Delegation to the Southwest Region. Last but not the least, a letter of congratulations also came in from Wilfred Mbellem, the Secretary for Economic and Social Affairs at the Central Committee.

Considering the rich cultural background of Lebialem Division and the respect for culture, it came as no surprise that in 2003, Sabas Atem was crowned a notable in the Fontem Kingdom qualifying him as a NDI. A great title owner who can appear infront of the King without removing the cap and an individual who can also act as an adviser to the King. This was in recognition of his services rendered to the Kingdom.

In May 20, 2003 he was decorated Knight of the Cameroon Order of Valour and on May 20, 2015 he was again decorated Officer of the National Order of Valour. This qualified him as a Sir Sabas Atem Asung. He has declared that he remains grateful to God.

EDEV CONCEPT

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