Cedric Che Azeh Ngwa is a well-known name in the Cameroonian entrepreneurial domain. Popular for his unapologetic anti-school campaign, Cedric is a founder of blogvisa , one of the best web hosting services company in Cameroon. He is equally co-founder and Chief Operation Officer at Eternal Company
As earlier stated, Cedric is very popular on social media for his anti-school campaign. the former student of National Institutes of International Relations IRIC thinks though Education is important, School is not
Read Cedric Che Aze Ngwa’s message to the candidates who failed the 2019 Cameroon GCE session below
Read 5 Reasons why schools must resume in North West and southwest Cameroon, come September 2019.
A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO FAILED
When I failed in school for the first time ever, I was flogged 70 strokes by my dad. I was 12 years old then and even to this day, I remember why I failed. I didn’t just fail, I was 70th in a class of 71. My reason for failure is a beautiful story.
My form 2 crew (myself, Remy and Louis) was amazing! I learned so fast from them I became ringleader in school crimes. Almost every day we’d be the first to leave school. Once a teacher became boring, we’d walk out, scale the wall they imprisoned us in, get rid of our uniforms and vanish into town. We didn’t openly disrespect any teacher – just drop your backpack out the window and request permission to pee.
Our activities in town were electric! We’d usually start by swimming at “Mezam river”, it was usually as deep as 2 meters. Then we’d watch a movie either at a friend’s place or mine when I’m sure my dad’s not home or in a video club. We were so frequent at video clubs they’d let us in for free. If we make it back before 2:30, we’d play football for an hour at Parcours Vita or go wild in this amazing Indian bamboo forest just behind GBHS Bamenda. We called it Tarzan.
If we managed to not scale the wall, we’d be betting, playing checkers (draughts), or attending classes in the wrong classrooms just for fun.
Remember my literature teacher, the late Tah Protus hated me so much he once booted my ribs. I can’t remember any teacher who didn’t hit, spank, kick or whip me.
One of my most memorable days was the day my friend’s junior brother and another schoolmate died on their way to school. It had rained the previous night and the river we had to cross before reaching school had overflowed, swept away its bridge, and now had literally deadly currents, which were scary to even watch. An emergency bridge of a single electric pole was made by some overzealous devil or ignorant angel. This satanic bridge wasn’t only unstable, it was slippery, from mud left on it by students crossing. It was a miracle we lost only 2 students that day, as one slipped while crossing, and in trying to save himself, grabbed the student in front of him. They both ended up in the river and were swooshed away in half a second by the currents. It took a search team 2 days to recover their bodies kilometers downstream.
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Why did these kids die? Maybe it was their time to die. Or maybe because they couldn’t risk being locked out for coming late to school if they decided to not cross that river on an electric pole, and take another road to school. Maybe they were too obedient, maybe their parents would crucify them if 8 absences were marked on their report cards (1 day locked out = 8 absences). Or maybe they couldn’t swim.
Why wasn’t I the one? Maybe I was lucky. Or maybe I didn’t care about being locked out. Maybe I had so much experience being disobedient 8 absences was nothing to me. Or maybe I could swim, even if it happened to be me who fell or who was grabbed. I always remember asking “wasn’t there anyone there who could swim and save even 1 of these kids?” Just maybe.
Staying alive wasn’t the only thing my delinquency offered to me. I could have been dead or seriously injured on several other occasions, had my skills not come to my rescue. I was friends with a gang of thieves who always visited our school to extort money from students, stabbing those who resisted. It was a gang taboo to approach me.
I, Cedric Che Azeh Ngwa, learned, in form 2, things which have made me who I am today. I learned sales (textbooks were a booming market), and even before textbooks, form 2 was when I decided to ask a girl on a date. That alone bred countless skills. The best education I offered myself, aside from sales, was networking. Up to this day, I have great interpersonal and networking skills I’ve got friends in every social class in Douala, and I’ve been here for just 2 years. I’m offered free bodyguard services at clubs when I go out with my rich friends – the bodyguards being my poor friends. My public speaking skills grew in form 2, my ability to play Chess, my cycling skills, football, gymnastics, family (not blood), protecting your own, courage, countless things which have served me in life.
Today, almost everyone who knew me between form 3 and the university is shocked when they see how easily I mix both lives: corporate and street. It’s always “I’ve always known you to be a quiet guy”. It’s unbelievable the skills I learned in form 2 which got quelled until I rebirthed them when I dropped out at the master’s, are the only skills school has ever provided me – or lack of school.
At the end of this exciting study and life-saving journey, I was flogged 70 strokes.
So dear “dull student”, relax, walk through the shame, but don’t hate yourself. You’ve got a thousand skills these nerds don’t have. They’ve got just 1 thing: they can follow rules. They passed because they followed the rules, not because they’re more intelligent. They’ll follow rules all their lives – that’s why they’re always looking forward to a job as the only consequence of passing, so they can follow the rules and get paid, school taught them when you follow the rules, you get rewarded. But it’s people like you who’ll lead them, who’ll make the rules, as long as you use those skills you’ve learned to help other people. Your successful classmates need help with the skills you have – they don’t have those skills. If you can help them, they’ll pay you. Figure that out, and you’ll rule over them.
There’s a flip side though, you use these skills to harm others, your classmates would be the ones handing you your death sentence. Double failure for you, my friend.
sign: Cedric Che Azeh Ngwa
source: Cedric Ipkiss facebook profile