GBHS Muea, ‘The Green City’
In line with commemorating the 44th edition of the World Earth Day under the theme ‘Building Green Cities”, The Green Vision Newspaper went in search of ‘Green Cities’ schools.
The Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) Muea created in September 1991 can be described as a perfect example of a green city. The school first operated on a temporary site (GPS Muea I) so creating a college forest was a bit difficult.
That notwithstanding, the Pioneer Principal, Forkusam Langmia Austin, introduced some ornamental plants on the now permanent site. Later in 1995, the Pearl Lions Club from Limbe planted some trees (Terminalia) at the western boundary of the college. But these trees did not see the light of day owing to vandals from Muea and its environs. From 2006 when the school moved to its permanent site, the then Principal, Lyonga Cecilia LJT, began landscaping the college and planted palms, which now bloom on the campus.
Njang Emmanuel Mbeng followed suit and between 2009 and 2010 planted more ornamental trees remarkably the luxuriant Polyalthia Longifolia.
The current Principal, Fonge Julius Fongouck, has not relented in increasing the number of trees planted on the college campus. Thanks to his urgent intervention with the PTA in constructing an enclosure round the college, most of the plants continue to survive.
In 2011, due to the environmental consciousness of the students and staff of GBHS Muea, the Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development offered the school a floral garden through the South West Regional office.
In an interview with the current Environmental Club Coordinator, John Bunyi Njabi, he said his greatest motivation in planting trees and maintaining the already planted ones stems from the fact that the college was apparently a desert and it was widely believed that such a garden could not thrive in Muea because of vandalism.
“I, therefore, took this as a challenge to the 'Doubting Thomases'. Besides, my love for nature was a greater driving force,” Bunyi Njabi told the Green Vision.
Students have equally been very helpful in making GBHS Muea green.
“Without the students, especially present and former members of the Health and Environment Club, we would not have a green campus today,” Njabi said.
The presence of trees on the campus provides shade and students feel very comfortable studying under the trees.
“If there is one thing I like most about my school is the presence of the different kinds of trees. There is always this fresh air when you walk into our school and this makes it a very conducive environment,” a student told The Green Vision.
According to the student, these trees are also a veritable way of combating the effects of climate change.
“The presence of these trees in our school help in carbon sequestration thus helping to curb the devastating effects of climate change,” she said.
Some tree species planted in GBHS Muea
Cordia dichotoma, Maesopsis eminni, Erythrina, Polyalthia longifolia, mahogany, Prunus Africana, terminalia catappa, Bauhinia purpurea, Cassia spectabilis, Euphobia pulcherima