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SHOULD OUR CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL TODAY?

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LOBAMBA – In the face of the worst drought to be experienced in the country, Minister of Education and Training Phineas Magagula was yesterday left exposed when MPs discovered he had no contingency plan to address the water crisis at public schools, as they open today.


Today marks the beginning of the third term and the most crucial academic term in public schools as pupils will sit for their external examinations later in the term. However, when Mbabane West Member of Parliament Johane Shongwe asked if all was in order, particularly in the Mbabane schools, the minister’s response was found wanting by the legislators.


He was stopped in his tracks by acting Chairperson of the ministry’s Portfolio Committee, appointed MP Thuli Dladla when he said the water issue was not just a Mbabane issue, but affected the entire country. “For now, we want you to just address the Mbabane situation,” said Dladla.


When schools closed in August, the rationing had only been for a period of two days, but with the new schedule issued by the Swaziland Water Services Corporation (SWSC), water supply to Mbabane residents is now cut off for four consecutive days.


Magagula informed the legislators that 29 schools in Mbabane were affected by the lack of water, but they had held a meeting with SWSC and other partners last week to address the issue.


He said each school had been given two tanks and one had the water connected to toilets. “Three water tankers have also been allocated to go and fill up the water tanks in the schools and they will start doing it immediately,” said Magagula.
However, Principal Secretary in the ministry Pat Muir said although they had asked the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) for extra water tanks for each school, they had not been delivered as yet.
It was at this point that Shiselweni II MP Mthokozisi Kunene said the minister should come out clear and state if additional tanks had been brought to the schools because the two were not even enough before the four-day rationing.
He said the minister should take the portfolio committee to the schools to check if all was in order.

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