Times Of Swaziland: PRIVATE SCHOOLS ORDERED TO CLOSE UNTIL JAN 27

PRIVATE SCHOOLS ORDERED TO CLOSE UNTIL JAN 27
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 BY JABULISA DLAMINI on 16/01/2015 01:49:00


MANZINI – Private schools which have been operating despite an order by the
Minister of Education and Training, Phineas Magagula, saying the opening of all
schools had been postponed to January 27, 2015, have been ordered to close.
Most of the private schools confirmed that they got a directive from the
ministry to stop operating until the announced date.
Pupils were handed letters to give their parents indicating that classes would
be suspended until January 27, 2015.
Some private schools in the country had continued operating despite that the
ministry had issued the order.
Initially, schools were supposed to open on Tuesday, January 20, 2015 but the
opening was postponed.
The ministry further stated that the decision to postpone the reopening of
schools applied to all schools in the country; be it public or private schools.
The statement read; “The general public is informed that government has
decided to postpone the opening of schools from the 20th to the 27th of January
2015. The reason is that imisebenti yelive iyachubeka.”
Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education and Training Pat Muir
referred all questions to the minister, who insisted that an announcement was
made that all schools should remain closed until January 27, 2015.
“We made it clear that the opening of schools was postponed. The private
schools which are said to be operating are doing so on Swazi soil and that means
they have to abide by the order irrespective of the fact that they are private.
“That has to be done for harmony in the country, otherwise they are pushing
the country into a state of lawlessness. All the private schools currently
operating are ordered to close until January 27, 2015,” the minister insisted.