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RESULTS OUT TODAY, SCHOOLS OPEN TUESDAY

31/03/2022 08:49:00 Phiwase Phungwayo

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MANZINI - The wait is over!

Results for the Eswatini Primary Certificate (EPC) and Junior Certificate (JC) external examinations will be out today. They will be released in the afternoon. In addition, the opening date of schools, which is April 5, still stands. This has been confirmed by both the Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) and Ministry of Education and Training. ECESWA, through its Communications Officer Hlengiwe Ndlovu yesterday, said: “The Examinations Council of Eswatini would like to inform the public that JC and EPC results will be released tomorrow (today), Thursday March 31, 2022, by the Minister of Education and Training Lady Howard Mabuza.” Ndlovu elaborated that this followed an ECESWA Council Board meeting with management yesterday, where council approved the results. She revealed that the minister would release the results after lunch.

Confirmed

In the same breath, Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary Bhekithemba Gama confirmed same. He mentioned that the results would not be published in the media, but rather it (media) would only be furnished with a summary of the results. Gama alluded to that the ministry still maintained the date for schools opening, which was April 5. He had been asked if government would postpone the schools opening date in light of the delay in results release, to allow both parents and teachers ample time to prepare for the reopening. “When schools open next week, Form II, III, as well as Form V will be learning, as they will be continuing from previous classes. The same applies to Grade II to VII. Admissions will be done in Form I the entire week, while (the other teachers) will be busy teaching,” he explained.

The PS mentioned that this was not rocket Science, but was basic logic. He said while other learners would be in class learning, admissions would be done concurrently. Gama reiterated that this was a peculiar year and parents should be mindful of this. He advised them to adjust to the unusual conditions. “That is why we have issued results in a short period of time,” he said. Worth noting is that the release of external exams results today will leave parents and guardians of pupils with only two days to find spaces for their children who were doing Grade VII and Form III. This has had many parents up in arms about the delay in the release of the results. This publication was inundated with calls from parents, asking when the results would be released as the ministry had announced that schools would open on April 5.

“Government is really not considerate and has no regard for the difficulties we go through while searching for spaces for our children,” one parent lamented. She shared that it was a challenge to secure space for a child at a good school, as most children were bright and competition was high. Another parent was of the view that government was only doing what suited it, but was inconsiderate of the troubles they had to go through when looking for spaces for their children. “It (government) really needs to consider postponing the date of schools opening,” he said. Another parent was of the view that it wouldn’t hurt for government to give them another week to get their house in order.

Pressure

“I fully understand that government is also under pressure that more time is wasted and that is commendable. But we cannot turn a blind eye to the challenges that some parents face, such as not getting spaces for their children, never mind the financial burden. Let us hope things will run smoothly,” he said. The complaints by parents on the delay of the release of results comes at a time when government recently declined a proposal by Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) to defer the opening of schools for the 2022 calendar year, especially the first term.

The principals’ association had officially written a proposal to the Ministry of Education and Training, in particular to the office of the principal secretary (PS). The letter, which was signed by EPA Secretary General Mduduzi Masilela was dated March 8, 2022 and titled; Re; proposal to review the school calendar - 2022. EPA President Welcome Mhlanga had mentioned that the national executive committee (NEC) of the association had been inundated with concerns from their members regarding foreseen challenges, which might be the result of the dates of the 2022 school calendar - in particular, the start of the first term. He said in their submissions to the ministry; they mentioned that they were of the view that the one-week school break (March 25, 2022 and April 5, 2022) was not reasonable for them. He said teachers needed time to rest as they were overwhelmed. One reason he mentioned was that delivering on the compressed syllabus under intense pressure to cover most of it, balancing teaching and also supervising the classes of their colleagues who were away to mark the external examinations, was and continued to be strenuous. Furthermore, Mhlanga said teachers who remained behind still had to prepare and mark the internal examinations, as well as compile progress reports for the learners.

Energy-consuming

Again, he said marking of the external examinations was energy-consuming and exerted further stress to meet the set deadlines. “In that regard, the teachers will need to rest and rejuvenate the mind in preparation for the first term of 2022,” the EPA president said. Once more, he said some teachers would be marking the Form V external examinations after March 31, 2022, and they would need to rest thereafter. On another note, he said the admission process of new learners required time and was undertaken by both the school management and the admissions committee, which comprised of teachers. On top of that, he argued that parents also needed sufficient time to look for spaces and make the necessary arrangements as per the school requirements for admission, like payment of school fees and submission of proof of payments to the school. “The one week is not sufficient to carry out this activity,” he said.