ESWATINI PRIORITISING ARMY OVER EDUCATION SYSTEM – SNAT

MBABANE – The Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) has evaluated the employment structure of security forces over teachers’ employment structure.

The association said the fact that teachers were employed on contracts, yet soldiers were employed on a permanent basis, was a clear indication that there was an issue of prioritising one sector over the other. The association said this move was viewed as a matter of prioritising on the army than the education system. The teachers’ association is of the view that employing enough teachers in schools would reduce the number of learners per teacher. This would have an impact on the quality of the education and the life of the teacher in general. In an interview with the SNAT Secretary General (SG), Sikelela Dlamini, he said employing more teachers would improve results in schools.

Economy

“Ultimately, education is a critical stakeholder of the economy and shall surely claim its rightful place,” he said. Dlamini added that the security issues in schools were now worrying teachers. “Since June last year, teachers have been attacked,” he said. The SG  said this made teachers uncomfortable even when doing their work. Dlamini also touched on the issue of soldiers’ recruitment and said it left them with unanswered questions. “Where will the money to pay them come from now when there is no money for the education sector?” he asked.
He also said that free primary education (FPE) and orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) funds needed to be increased to adequately meet the cost of education. A post about the security forces’ recruitment was posted on the SNAT platform page and below is what some facebook users said.

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