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EXAMS: PUPILS ON THEIR OWN - SNAT

18/09/2023 08:40:00 Stanley Khumalo

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MANZINI – Pupils will be on their own in the upcoming examinations as teachers claim they have nothing to do with it.

As the third term has started, pupils in completing classes, which are Grade VII, Form III and Form V, shall be sitting their external examinations, while those in the other grades are expected to be assessed on whether to proceed to the next class. Given this and the fact that the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) had an extraordinary general meeting, wherein they resolved that, among other things; they would make operations abnormal in schools, and sensitise pupils about their President’s (Mbongwa Dlamini) dismissal. They supposed that the destabilisation of operations in schools would be done legally, through effecting go-slows. A go-slow is a strategy or tactic, especially a form of protest, in which work or progress is deliberately delayed or slowed down.

In light of this, this publication sought to establish from the union’s Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati, on what would happen to the learners, as the third term was critical for them due to the pupils sitting examinations. Vilakati said: “Examinations, whether internal or external, have nothing to do with teachers as there is the Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA), which deals with that.” He said teachers had always done their part regardless of the challenges they faced in schools. He said this time; they were obligated to protect one of their own as in the near future it could be another member of SNAT.

At the moment, he said teachers would individually decide on how they shall engage in the proposed go-slow, while their union shall be consulting relevant stakeholders on their programmes. This, he said, shall include the preparation of the regional meetings meant to strategise on what the union shall do in their activities to pressure government. It is worth noting that government informed educators that the no-work, no-pay rule would be applied on civil servants who shall abandon their work and attend meetings during working hours.
Also, in the build-up to the extraordinary general meeting held last Friday, wherein the organisation was hosting its regional branches meetings, they were barred from hosting the meetings in any of the government infrastructure by the employer.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Education and Training was sought to establish what would happen during the external and internal examinations as teachers claimed they had nothing to do with them. Acting Principal Secretary in the ministry, Naniki Mnisi, had not responded to a questionnaire sent to her by the time this report was compiled. Mnisi said the issues raised were administrative and she had to consult the director of schools. It is worth noting that this is not the first time teachers have resolved not to engage in their duties during the third term. In 2018, government had to spend over E80 million in ensuring that external examinations were carried out without a hiccup.