BRING PUPILS TO SCHOOL ON TUESDAY

SITEKI – Head teachers have spoken. All schools nationwide will open next Tuesday when the 2019 academic year commences.

This is despite the plethora of challenges currently plaguing the education sector, which include; shortage of stationery, food, unpaid support staff and the planned strike by teachers.

Speaking on the sidelines of a leadership workshop for Lubombo Head teachers, Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) President, Welcome Mhlanga said the multiple challenges faced by the education sector should not deprive pupils of their right to learn.
“We have admitted pupils and some have already paid school fees, hence we cannot shut down schools because of the challenges we are faced with,” he said.

Protest

He further said head teachers would open schools even on Monday, January 28 - a date when teachers and civil servants have planned a protest march.
“Unless we are told otherwise by the ministry (of Education and Training), we will open schools for learners to learn on that day,” he added.

He clarified though that their decision to open schools despite all the challenges should not be interpreted to mean that they were fine with the challenges.
He stated categorically that they were also fully behind civil servants’ demand for a cost of living adjustment (CoLA).

“We are also public servants so we want the money. We are fully behind the demand for CoLA,” he stated.
He further touched on the issue of top-up fees.
He said parents who wished to pay top-up fees voluntarily or those who wished to donate to schools should not be prevented from doing so.

He stated that schools were not exclusively owned by government but also belonged to the community.
“If a chief decides to donate food to starving pupils of a school in his community, he should not be prevented. And so are parents who wish to assist schools overcome the massive challenges,” said Mhlanga.

He acknowledged that schools nationwide were in serious financial crisis and in dire need of financial injection in order to stay afloat this academic year.
Hence, he suggested that government needed to make the process of applying for permission to charge top up fees less strigent.

“Through the current set up, no school will charge top-up fees because the applications take long to reach the approving authority,” Mhlanga added.
Meanwhile, the teachers union said it supported the ban on schools charging top-up fees only on condition that government increases Free Primary Education (FPE) grants.

Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General, Sikelela Dlamini said it was pointless to freeze top up fees while FPE grants are not increased.

He said this was the reason schools had plunged into serious financial crisis.
A week ago, this publication reported that there would be no more top up fees in primary schools.

Conflict

Meanwhile, some head teachers from Lubombo were yesterday trained on leadership, conflict management, decision making and effective communication.
The workshop, which was held at the Regional Education Offices (REO) conference room, was attended by members of Eswatini Principals Association (EPA).

Dr Njabu Nsibandze, who is a lecturer at the University of Eswatini, facilitated the workshop and she took the head teachers on a three-hour session where she unpacked leadership, communication and decision-making.

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