Bamenda III Mayor donates Benches, pledges roofing to improve learning at GBSS Mbelem-Nkwen

Fongu Cletus Tanwe, Mayor of Bamenda III Council, has donated 80 benches to Government Bilingual Secondary School (GBSS) Mbelem and pledged to finance the roofing of its permanent campus, boosting efforts to improve learning conditions and bring secondary education closer to children in Mbelem and neighbouring communities.

The mayor made the commitments on Saturday, October 24, during a visit to the school, which opened in September 2026. The donation will support students currently attending classes at temporary premises while construction of the permanent campus at Nkundia Hill is being prepared.

“I stand before you today as a happy man, happy because our children in Mbelem and the neighbouring communities will no longer have to take long distnaces to go to school, but the school is now right at their doorsteps,” Mayor Fongu told community members at a civic reception at the Mbelem Quarter Hall.

The school is expected to reduce the burden of long-distance travel for students. Government Bilingual High School Atielah, one of the government secondary schools serving the area, is at least an hour’s walk from Mbelem. The new institution could therefore improve access to affordable secondary education, particularly for children from low-income households.

Beyond the donation, Mayor Fongu confirmed that the Bamenda III Council would finance the roofing of the permanent school building.

“I am that kind of a person that if I cannot do something, I will say no. If I can do it, I say yes. And my yes is yes,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to the project.

He urged the community to accelerate construction during the dry season to enable the school to move to its permanent site as soon as possible.

The current premises were made available for one year by Dr. Marvelous Atanga, a Mbelem-Nkwen elite based in the United States. Mayor Fongu Cletus commended the school administration for making the temporary facilities suitable for learning but stressed the need to complete the permanent campus.

He also announced plans to tar the Mbelem quarter road, which the council recently rehabilitated, to improve access for students, teachers and residents.

Mbelem Quarter Head, John Ngu Tametan, thanked the mayor for the donation and his continued support for local development. He recalled the mayor’s previous visit to launch construction of the Atontah Bridge, which links Mbelem to other parts of Nkwen, and acknowledged the council’s rehabilitation of the quarter road.

Ngu Tametan called on Mbelem elites and other well-wishers to contribute sand, concrete, reinforcing rods and cement to accelerate construction of the permanent campus.

Mayor Fongu Cletus also thanked the Fon of Nkwen, His Majesty Fon Azehfor III, and Tangie Musuka for donating land at Nkundia Hill for the school.

Tangie Musuka said he donated the land to give children in Mbelem and neighbouring communities better educational opportunities than he had enjoyed. He urged parents to enroll their children in GBSS Mbelem rather than keep them at home.

Suh Sylvester, an elite of Mbelem and assistant quarter head, said the Bamenda III Council had supported the initiative from its inception, including by recommending to government that a secondary school be established in the community.

During his visit to the temporary premises, Mayor Fongu urged the pioneer students to take their studies seriously and establish a strong academic record for the institution.

“You have to make this community proud. You have to make your principal proud. You have to make all of us in this hall proud,” he told them, expressing hope that the school’s first graduating class would achieve a 100 per cent success rate.

Pioneer Principal Tanwie Joseph welcomed the mayor and his delegation, thanking the community for its cooperation since the school began operating.

The visit ended with the symbolic handover of the 80 benches.

The donation provides immediate classroom support, while the roofing pledge offers a significant boost to efforts to establish the permanent campus. The next challenge will be mobilising the remaining resources and completing construction so that students can learn in a more permanent and adequately equipped environment.

By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web

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