Introduction

Operation Sponsor a Teacher (OSAT) was initiated by a Tugian, Roger Nyam who is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA following a report about the consistent poor education delivery in Tugi village, Momo Division of the North West Province. Records show that the performance of pupils at Tugi Government School has been poor and continued to fall denying the children the opportunity to acquire basic education and life skills.

Two indicators are used to measure the quality of instruction in a primary school in Cameroon. The performance of the pupils in the Government Common Entrance (GCE) and First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) Examinations. These are public exams administered by the appropriate Government Department (Ministry of Basic Education). The first (GCE) is a competitive selective examination into year one in secondary schools and the second (FSLC) is a certification evaluation of specific skills and competences in basic education at the elementary level.

Tugi village has 4 Primary schools located in the 3 main quarters of the village which is 27 km long and about 20 km wide. Three of them are government-run and one is run and owned by the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon. For the past 5 years, performance of pupils in all the schools has been less than satisfactory. As a matter of fact, pupils have consistent scored from 0-10% in both examinations in G.S. Tugi-Tugi.

In 2006, the plight of the children in G.S. Tugi was discussed in desperation over Tugichildren forum and a call for action was initiated. The response was swift and positive. A total of about US$3000 was donated by Tugians and friends of Tugi village for specific projects to improve the educational environment and education delivery in G.S. Tugi. These funds were therefore, targeted for G.S. Tugi. Akwi Memorial Foundation was given the responsibility to manage the funds, monitor, supervise and evaluate the projects and activities.