The second day of the Minister of P&T working visit was devoted to a rich and constructive exchange with the primary and higher education students of the capital city of the Littoral region.
After the Governor's Office and the University of Douala, the course was set on Friday 18 December 2020 at the Bonamoussadi Government School. There, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications led an educational talk with the youngest children from some of the city's schools, who were mobilised for the occasion. In her brief introductory remarks, Mrs Minette Libom Li Likeng recalled this rather evocative quote from the President of the Republic:“In this regard, your favourite platform of expression is the social media. Whenever at a click, you access these communication highways that give you global visibility, you must bear in mind that you are not exempted from fulfilling civic and moral obligations, such as respect for others and your country’s institutions. Be patriotic Internet users working for Cameroon’s development and influence, and not passive followers or naive relays for staunch critics of the Republic. The Cameroon of tomorrow, which is being forged before our very own eyes, will differ almost entirely from that of yesteryear. You will be its key beneficiaries. You will need to prove yourselves worthy of it.” Referring to this quotation and answering the children's questions, the Minister asked them to make a healthy and honest use of social media, under the supervision of their parents and teachers.
Awareness-raising continued at the Deido bilingual high school, where several thousand pupils from dozens of high schools and colleges gathered from lower sixth classes.“Today's young people use social networks as one of the most common activities for both learning and leisure purposes. Each evolution brings opportunities but also risks, whether for individuals, public and private organisations or the state and society. All stakeholders in the Internet can act in a beneficial and/or malicious, loyal and/or unfair manner.” the Minister pointed out. Before riding on with her patriotic appeal. “In conclusion, dear friends, I would like to remind you of what you already know. You are the future of our country and Cameroon will not develop without your contribution. From now on, let us start adopting good behaviour when we are on the internet. Together, we must take up the challenge not only of promoting access to ICTs, but also, and above all, of responsible and civic use of this tool”. This speech was warmly welcomed by pupils who wanted to know more, hence the length of the interactive phase.
The posters, flyers and leaflets handed over in large numbers by the Minister to Ms. Yvette Mukete, headmistress of the Deido Government Bilingual High School, are intended to be displayed all over the city's high schools. The purpose is to call on the entire educational community to make responsible use of the Internet and its by-products. It is not redundant to recall that this working visit of the Minister to Douala marks the beginning of a national tour and is part of the Campaign to promote the culture of cybersecurity and raise awareness on the responsible use of social media, organised at the behest of the Head of State.
Translated by Guy Emadeu
