NHLANGANISWENI PARENTS WANT AUDIT REPORT

MBABANE – Parents of pupils at Enhlanganisweni High School have rejected  the financials of the school, while demanding the head teacher to furnish them with an audit report.

The school was last year marred by controversy as the parents allegedly locked out the Head teacher, Nomthantazo Tembe, and requested the Ministry of Education and Training to conduct an audit to prove allegations of mismanagement of funds. The parents were willing to go an extra mile by hiring their own audit company as they felt the ministry was taking forever. However, government rejected their proposal of bringing their own audit company. Instead, government auditors were deployed in the school and conducted the assessment around October last year.

Adamant

Results of the audit have not been brought back to the school and parents are adamant that they want them before schools open. Some of the parents said they were not in a position to discuss the financials without the report findings from the auditors, adding that they were waiting upon the Hhohho Regional Education Officer Thulie LaNgwenya to bring a full report.
They also said they would not discuss the financials on the basis that there was no budget for 2018 going to 2019 and they did not know what exactly would be presented to them. “We have so many questions regarding the financials and would be very pleased to be addressed by the REO,” said the parents. Further, the parents requested the head teacher to discuss the budget in order for the school to continue operating and put aside the financials.

Financials

Responding, the Head teacher Tembe, said she would not force the parents to discuss the financials. Instead, they only discussed the budget and the new fees structure. Tembe said she had no idea when the REO would come back to the school to give a report on the audit findings. She said the audit was conducted last year but she also did not have access to the findings.   
The head teacher also reassured parents that fees were not going to be hiked this year but were to remain the same. Tembe also highlighted some projects which the school was expected to implement this year, including a E3 million worth hall, feedlot and the bulk SMS project.

She noted that the hall would be state-of-the art and accommodate 900 people. Tembe stated that the hall had a kitchen and toilets and could be used by the school to generate funds by renting it out to the community and general public. In terms of the feedlot, she said pupils to be admitted in Form I this year would take up agricultural lessons, something that had been long overdue. According to Tembe, the feedlot was expected to be an agricultural project for the school, which would also generate income. Meanwhile, she added that the school was spending a lot in stationery, hence they were considering partnering with MTN on the bulk SMS project, where they would be able to send one SMS in bulk to communicate with all the parents and guardians.

Further, she said parents would also be able to pay fees through MTN Mobile Money when they accept the project. Both the agriculture and school hall project were accepted by the parents, however, they rejected the bulk SMS, which they said was expensive for them. However, some parents said the bulk SMS was convenient as there would be no one claiming they had not received communication from the school.

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