HTTC Kumba entrance exam risks being compromised...

...VC orders translation of questions into French which costs 15 million FCFA.

Entrance exams into the newly-created Higher Technical Teachers’ Training College, HTTTC Kumba, has suffered three postponements because of what the Journal has been reliably informed is a conflict of authority between Pauline Nalova Lyonga ,Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea and Joyce Bayande Endeley, HTTTC Kumba director. Supposed to have been written since two months ago, the entrance test may eventually hold only early in December.

The Journal has it on good authority that the University of Buea Vice Chancellor has ordered that the entrance exams questions; already set and moderated by heads of departments must be translated into French before candidates sit the test. The contract to translate the questions, evaluated at 15 MFCFA, the Journal was hinted, has been awarded on the instructions of Nalova, to the director of the Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters, ASTI, Buea.

Sources say Joyce Endeley was served a query by Nalova after she tried to explain that being an Anglo-Saxon sub system, it was not proper for the entrance exams questions to be translated into French.

HTTTC Kumba department heads were reportedly told to go to hell when they also tried to explain to Nalova Lyonga that the entrance exams questions into HTTTC Bambili have never been translated into French neither have that into HTTTC Douala ever been translated into English.

Already, fears are heightened that the exams questions may not only have been leaked in the course of the translation process but also that the move by the University of Buea vice chancellor is intended to have more Francophones admitted into HTTTC Kumba at the expense of Anglophones. Five hundred students are supposed to be admitted into the institution this academic year.

Nalova is also accused of what has been described as her over-bearing attitude and wanting to run HTTTC Kumba like a faculty under the University of Buea.

Contacted by phone to throw light on what has been perceived as a cold war with the University of Buea VC, Endeley who admitted the entrance exams questions are being translated told the Journal: “I am not in a better position to answer your questions. Find out from the University of Buea Vice Chancellor who took that decision.” She refused to take any further questions; saying she did not want to make any statement about the imbroglio.

Said not to be in talking terms with Endeley, Nalova refused to comment on the matter when she was reached by phone last Saturday. First asked whether she has given instructions that the exams questions be translated into French, the UB VC retorted: “How did you get this information?’

Attempts to answer her question met with an immediate rebuff: “I have no answer to your question. Just go ahead and write what you have been told.” At this juncture, she hanged up the phone and refused taking calls from us again.