16 SCHOOLS YET TO RECEIVE FPE GRANTS

MANZINI – As schools wind up the first term, 16 schools are yet to get their free primary education (FPE) grants.
These are part of 24 primary schools that had not received their grants though some later did.

The schools first-term academic term started on January 24, 2019.
From the 24 schools, only eight confirmed to have received funding from government. The schools that have been paid, according to a survey conducted by the Swaziland Association of School Administrators (SASA), are: in the Manzini Region: Ekuphakameni Primary School; Nkanyezini Primary School; Mafutseni Primary School; Thulwane Primary School and Khuphuka Primary School. 

In the Hhohho Region they are: Ebuhleni Primary School; Malibeni Primary School; Msunduza Primary School.
Currently, government pays about E560 per pupil enrolled in the FPE programme.

This money is the sole funding received by schools as the Constitution made a provision that each pupil should attain free basic education.
Due to frustration of running schools without the necessary tools, some head teachers and their deputies reported their challenges to the SASA.
SASA is under the umbrella of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) and its membership consists of head teachers and deputy head teachers.

Secretary General of SASA, Siphasha Dlamini, said upon receipt of complaints that were forwarded by some of their members, the organisation started an online survey.

At first, Dlamini said, 21 schools had reported that they had not received their grants from government, however, she said the number increased to 24 as more members registered their concerns.
She said last week, another fact-finding mission was initiated by the organisation and yielded that some schools had received the grants while many were still to get them.

Concerned

The unionist said given that they were civil servants and were concerned about service delivery, they wanted pupils to have quality education – not just to be statistics of children who woke-up daily to go and play at schools.
The unionist said of concern was that the schools had not received the funding from government despite that primary schools were not charging guardians any fees for the pupils to be in school.

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