Back to School: PLEDGE Scores High Points As Minister Stages Surprised Visit

By Tetuh Mbah

Tachang in handshake with Ndong Souhmet

Tachang Pius, the dynamic proprietor of PLEDGE, an ultra-modern edifice hosting a bilingual nursery and primary complex at Meta quarters Bamenda, beamed with smiles on Tuesday morning of September 4, 2012. Benoit Ndong Souhmet, secretary of state for Basic Education, had just wrapped up a 30 minutes surprised visit to PLEDGE, before he settled to sign the visitor’s book. The minister’s remarks were wholly positively, which as Chronicle observed, could be understandable. PLEDGE stands as a class of its own, with less than 2 years of existence. Its location, structure, infrastructure, beauty, staff-strength can only be equated to what attains at the American school in Yaounde and other international educational outfits reserved only for Yaounde and Douala in Cameroon with mostly the children of diplomats and ministers in attendance.

Minister Ndong Souhmet was accompanied by a fortnight team from Yaounde, including the very performant regional delegation for Basic Education for the North West. Mme Fon Susan ushered her minister to some 5 selected schools, in Bafut and Bamenda central, on the occasion of the ‘back-to-school’ 2012/13 academic year kick-off.

PLEDGE was the only private initiative to which Minister Ndong Souhemet’s attention was drawn to. Upon arrival on the campus, the Basic Education boss was welcomed by the head teacher, Wanda Gilbert and then, the pedagogic adviser, Salah Thomas took him round the facilities of the complex.

A day-care class, witnessed kids taken care of by their mistress, with one comfortably dosing on a bed beside. Then a full primary class in session with each pupil dinkly positioned on a single seat and table. Their bags hung on the wall. The neatness of the décor, corresponded with the auspicious uniforms, which the pupils were clad in.

Ndong Souhmet then roved to inspect the infirmary, the tele-centre, the library, then the administrative block. At each state of his visit, Salah Thomas, the Pedagogic Adviser gave explanations as to what and why each installation was necessitated.

Probably informed on phone about the surprised visit of the Basic Education boss, the ever-busy Tachang Pius bombed into his complex almost at the tail of the visit. Fortunately, he met Minister Ndong already within the administrative block, then watched him sign the visitor’s record.

The brief visit was wrapped up with a family photograph and a warm congratulatory handshake by Minister Ndong Souhmet to Tachang Pius. At close range, Chronicle overheard the Minister assuring Tachang that the Basic Education Ministry is behind him. Congratulations! Was his last word.

Tachang Pius:

Giving Education in Bamenda a New Facelift

The North West Region is noted for its deep-rooted tradition in education. It is the more so because of the results the region produces at end-of-year certificate examinations organized by the ministries of Secondary Education and Basic Education. Despite the great sacrifices put in by North West children the real problem has been that of infrastructure. Be it in government or private schools the main cry has been the lack of an enabling environment for teaching and learning to flourish. On her part, government has over the years complained of lack of resources. The same holds of the private sector. But there is one individual in Bamenda, North West Region, who has resolved to do things differently. He is Tachang Pius, Proprietor and Managing Director of Edge Company S.A

Knowing that the real basis for development lie in elementary education and knowing that if you educate and individual, you educate a nation, Tachang Pius decided that things must change, beginning from the roots. As if to pay tribute to those who brought him up and laid the foundation for his present achievements, Tachang decided to invest his hard-earned resources in basic education.

As an apostle of President Paul Biya who is bent on seeing it that Cameroonians, be they in the village or in the city receive quality education in the best of conditions and as part of his determination to be part of the movement to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, Tachang Pius decided some few years ago to contribute concretely to the fulfillment of President Paul Biya’s policies of Greater Accomplishments by setting up and running a high standard day-care, pre-nursery, nursery and primary school in Bamenda.

The Pledge Chain of Schools

That Tachang Pius set up the Pledge Complex, at Meta Quarters, Bamenda II sub division is indicative of the fact that he keeps his promises. Pledge is a fulfillment of a pledge made by Tachang Pius that the day God blesses him, he would do everything within his means to see to it that Cameroonians benefit from his achievements. After recording that success and after seeing that the only way his impact can be felt would be to make Bamenda enjoy not only quantitative but qualitative education, Tachang Pius decided to start a school complex completely different from what obtains in Cameroon.

Generally, the kind of schools and colleges we have had in Cameroon are average or below average schools in terms of infrastructure. Tachang was not only interested in quantity but also in quality. That is why he set out to offer the Bamenda-man an elementary school of the standards of a university. Those who know PLEDGE know that no secondary or high school west of the Moungo goes closer to it. There can be no gainsaying the fact that Pledge Comples owned by Tachang Pius compares favourably only to the American school at EMIA Yaounde and the International school in Bastos, Yaounde. Not that any of these two schools beat PLEDGE in terms of infrastructure but that the promoters of the structures have the same vision and mission.

Gov’t Commends PLEDGE

It was during the opening of the 2012/2013 school year that Yaounde authorities discovered to their greatest surprise that there could be a primary school in distant Bamenda that surpasses UNESCO standards. When the Secretary of State in the ministry of Basic Education came inspecting the level of resumption of schools at the start of the academic year, he was surprised that there was an elementary school of such high standards in Bamenda.

Apart from the fact that the school itself is an architectural jewel, Louis Ndong Soumet found out for himself that PLEDGE is an up-to-date Information, Communication and Technological, ICT centre, but also a well equipped library. As if that was not enough, he discovered that unlike other schools and colleges in Cameroon, PLEDGE Complex offered individual benches to each pupil, and recruited qualified and well paid teachers.

He also realized that PLEDGE was not just another school but a vision and a mission. That vision and mission is that of the proprietor of EDGE and building construction company that pledges to transform Cameroon.