Please Improve Manzini Nazarene Hostel Conditions

Please allow me to express my opinion concerning what transpired in a parents meeting held at Manzini Nazarene High School auditorium on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

I would have loved to make my contribution in the meeting had the chairman allowed us an opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, since the meeting had dragged on too long, having started late, many parents were already leaving the meeting and the chairman decided to end the meeting even though some of us were still raising our hands and interested in voicing out our suggestions towards some submissions made by other parents.

One of the parents had suggested to the administration to consider the conditions in the hostels, whether they were still conducive to effective studying for the children staying in the hostels.

The principal responded by saying the children behave according to the way they have been taught by their parents. Even if someone were to come and sit next to the pupils during study time, if they do not want to study, they will also sit and do nothing. I do not think that response showed any responsibility on the part of the school towards the children in the hostels. To me it meant that they do not care what goes on in the hostels. First of all, the calibre of children we have these days is different from those of the past. It is an honest fact that children are different and some do need to be directed in order to do their work.

At Manzini Nazarene High School, it is compulsory for Form IVs and Vs to stay in the hostels. To say pupils behave the way they have been taught by their parents, when boarding is compulsory for the pupils, is irresponsible. It would be better if the pupils stayed in the hostel by choice.

As parents we know our children very well and even if you would not want the child to be a boarder you are forced to send him to the hostel if you want him to enrol at the school for Form IV and V. Therefore the statement by the principal was not fair. It simply meant that the school does not care about our children; whether they do their studies or not.

What is the reason then for making boarding compulsory if it is not to help them do their studies better than when at home? Is it to provide employment for the people who work in the hostels? Is it to provide time for music practices after school hours in order to excel during music competitions? I am asking these questions but obviously not expecting an answer. I know that a possible answer would be; ‘withdraw your child from Manzini Nazarene High School if you have a problem’.

There is also a need to monitor the quality of the food served to the children in the hostels. When children are sent to hostels it’s not because we want them to experience hardships but we want them to benefit from the better education the school has been known for over the years.

We know that you cannot satisfy everybody, at least when you talk of food, but is the food cooked properly? Is the food enough? That is; the quantity. I do not think even in our correctional services institutions give them enough food. The children cannot study effectively on an empty stomach. I think that is the main reason children want more food from home.

I think it is time for the school to consider making boarding optional if they are not interested in improving the conditions in the hostels. This is what I also wanted to contribute in the meeting if the chairman did not ignore some of us.

Lastly, I wish to challenge the administration to carefully consider the quality of their results. These days it is not enough just to get credits, you must have competitive credits. Our children are at home just because their grades were not good enough for entry into university. Yes, they have credits in all their subjects but not competitive grades. We know that the school can do it and that is why we still long to send all our children to the school for their education.

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