Hon. Meboka Defies Boycott Calls to Champion Back-to-School in Ndian

Cameroon National Assembly Deputy Speaker tours Mundemba and Manja, equipping pupils and schools while urging families to keep education at the centre of their children’s future

MUNDEMBA, Ndian — Hon. Mary Muyali Meboka spent the opening day of Cameroon’s 2026–27 school year moving through schools in Mundemba and Manja, turning a routine return to the classroom into a visible demonstration of resolve in a constituency where insecurity and separatist calls for school boycotts have repeatedly disrupted education.

Meboka, who serves as Deputy Speaker of the Cameroon National Assembly and represents the Ndian constituency in Parliament, began her back-to-school activities on Monday, September 7, with a tour of four educational centres: St. Paul’s Catholic Nursery and Primary School Mundemba, Presbyterian School Mundemba, Government Bilingual Practice School and the Manja Complex Accommodation Center.

Her decision to make the tour despite calls for a school boycott placed her directly in a difficult environment, where sending children to school can carry significance beyond the ordinary start of an academic year. By going from one school to another, Meboka offered a clear message that education should not be abandoned because of fear or intimidation.

At each stop, she began with prayer, entrusting the new academic year to God and seeking protection, wisdom and success for pupils, teachers and families. She then addressed the children, encouraging them to remain disciplined, respect their teachers and approach their studies with determination.

The visit was backed by practical assistance. Meboka distributed notebooks and other basic school supplies to pupils, helping children begin the school year with materials that many families might otherwise struggle to provide.

She also placed a particular emphasis on academic achievement. Twenty of the best-performing pupils from the Government Bilingual Practice School and the Manja Complex, selected on the basis of their results from the previous academic year, received additional packages containing backpacks, notebooks, pens and other learning materials.

The initiative combined broad support with recognition of merit: no child was left out, while pupils who had distinguished themselves academically were given an additional incentive to maintain their performance.

Security concerns shaped part of the arrangement in Manja. The Government Bilingual Practice School and the Manja Complex Accommodation Center were brought together at a single secure location, allowing the activities to proceed in a controlled environment while giving pupils an opportunity to mark the beginning of the new school year.

For Meboka, the significance of the day went beyond the distribution of school materials. Her physical presence in Mundemba and Manja offered a demonstration of confidence at a moment when separatist boycott calls could have discouraged families from sending their children to class.

She did not simply appeal to parents to return their children to school. She went into the communities herself.

The school tour followed an engagement with orphans in the constituency the previous day, extending Meboka’s focus on children and vulnerable families as the new academic year began.

In Ndian, the reopening of classrooms carries a meaning that extends beyond the school calendar. It is also about whether children can continue to build futures in communities where insecurity has repeatedly interrupted their education.

On September 7, Meboka’s message was delivered through prayer, conversation and material support. But perhaps the strongest part of it was her decision to be present.

In a constituency confronted by attempts to keep children away from school, the Deputy Speaker chose to walk toward the classrooms.