The minister of secondary school, Pauline Nalova Lyonga, warned the populations in a May 18 statement that “a certain association, in complicity with some school heads, invites parents to pay the sum of CFA1,000 so that their children can get protective masks when school resumes on June 1.”

The minister says this decision does not come from the government. “The minister declines all responsibility for the collection of the above-mentioned sum,” the document states.

On May 15, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute indicated that the wearing of masks is mandatory for learners and supervisory staff. However, the head of the government specified that masks will be granted to students for free.

P.N.N.