QUESTIONS OVER SCHOOLS CLOSURE REAL REASONS

MBABANE – “We are concerned about the actual reasons behind the closure of schools as the minister is running away from critical issues.”

This was said by Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General (SG) Sikelela Dlamini when reacting to the announcement of the schools closure. The announcement was made by the Minister of Education and Training, Lady Mabuza, yesterday where she said schools would be closed on Friday, December 10 and reopen on January 11, 2022. The minister said the schools were closing for the coming Christmas Holidays.

The schools had just recently opened; over a week ago, November 29 to be precise for the internal classes and November 23, 2021 for the external classes.
Dlamini said the actual reason the minister was closing schools was because of the ongoing protests by learners across the country, which government was failing to address.

Difficult

He said secondly, there was an issue of non-remittance of free primary education (FPE) and orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) funds, which made the functioning of schools difficult. “As a result, today (yesterday) SNAT delivered a petition on these issues,” said Dlamini. The SG added that of critical note was that schools support staff had not been paid for over six months now. “Children do not get meals as food that is offered by the government is spoilt. The Ministry of Education and Training is running away from addressing these issues, hence the abrupt closure of schools,” said the SG.  Dlamini further challenged government to stand up and address the issues that were faced by schools, teachers and learners as well as the entire nation; otherwise the same issues would confront the nation even in January. 

When making the announcement, Minister Mabuza said as a ministry, they believed that learners did not have to slack off on studying while on school holidays. She said end of term breaks were a time when learners could clear their heads, relax a little and stretch their brains in different ways.  “However, letting a study routine slip means they are missing out on a huge opportunity to get ahead,” said Mabuza. She further encouraged learners to take this holiday break as an opportunity for them to revise their schoolwork and study further in preparation for their examinations. She said learners should aim to spend an average of two to six hours studying a day, depending on their grade level. She said junior grades, could study two to four hours a day. She said that was to say, at least half of the holiday break should be dedicated to studying.

Requested

“Teachers are earnestly requested to assign work to learners and give them study tips to assist them manage their study routines and keep up to date with their schedules,” said Mabuza. She added that the ministry would also be working towards acute strategies to ensure that the fourth wave and other disruptions did not affect the progression of education activities as experienced in the past. The minister said whatever strategies the ministry ended up with, cooperation was key from all learners, teachers and parents. She said this would ensure a future the learners aspired for. The minister requested all parents and guardians to encourage and support their children to study even during this holiday break.

She said the parents or guardians needed to create an enabling environment for their children to study. “Parents have a lasting impact on their children’s learning. We, therefore, bank on their support in ensuring that learners engage more with their schoolwork at all times,” said the minister.

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