STILL NO NDMA FUNDS FOR SCHOOLS OPENING

MBABANE – With two weeks ahead of schools reopening, there are still no funds to make this a smooth process.

This is because the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has not been successful in raising the required funds for the educational budget for COVID-19 response.

NDMA’s Director Strategy and Sustainability Sihle Mzileni, who is responsible for resource mobilisation, said his team will meeting today and they would have an informed position of what was going on thereafter.

A budget of E56 012 368 is required to facilitate the reopening of schools on July 6, 2020.
Mzileni stated that currently, there were no funds in their coffers but only commitments made by their donor partners. Part of the budget will be financed by UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO and PEPFAR

According to the NDMA budget for the COVID-19 response, they need to provide water and sanitation-related activities which include water distribution in the 933 schools across the country.

Procurement

The water distribution includes the procurement of water tankers that require a budget of E3.6 million, water procurement which will cost E1.2 million, hand washing soap for the learners to cost E2.37 million, among other items. Other items include sanitisers, ear syringes and BP machines. 

Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General, Sikelela Dlamini said progress on the ground suggested that schools will not open as they were far from meeting the COVID-19 requirements.

Dlamini said government was running away from taking full responsibility of the COVID-19 response and shifting responsibilities yet the budget solely depended on them.

“Without a proper budget, it is impossible to reopen schools because we need to ensure that we are ready to respond well to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He noted that above everything required by the response, cleanliness was key and they needed to clean surfaces every now and then. Dlamini said in the case of a school, they were to sanitise the desks before lessons began and in between periods. This, he noted would require the employment of more support staff by government.

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