Times Of Swaziland: Threat to close down SAIM Private School

Threat to close down SAIM Private School
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 SENZO DLAMINI on 13/01/2012 00:00:00


MBABANE – There is a threat to try and close down SAIM Christian Private
School, purportedly by disgruntled youth of Mahwalala Zone Six.
The threat is contained in a letter addressed to the authorities and endorsed by
one Nganono, who claimed to be a representative of the youth.
"SAIM Private School shall remain closed when the rest of the schools open in
the new year (2012)," reads the letter in part.
SAIM, as per the concerns raised by the residents, is supposed to be a community
school instead of a private one.
The ‘youth’ allege that SAIM, by virtue of being a private school, is no
longer benefiting the community on the grounds that the school fees are too
expen- sive.
The youth is alleging that the pupils from the area are unable to afford the
fees, which they term as exorbitant.
They have promised to leave no stone unturned in their fight to ensure that SAIM
is no longer a private school.
They have pointed a finger at the owners of the school, accusing them of
thinking of themselves at the expense of the poor community.
The letter alleges that the youth believes the community has been taken for a
ride by the authorities.
No immediate comment could be obtained from the school.
Follow right channels - PS
MBABANE – Pat Muir, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and
Training, has advised the youth of Mahwalala to follow the right channels to air
their views as opposed to resorting to violence.
Muir said the closure of the school would definitely not be a lasting solution,
but a major set-back in as far as education was concerned.
"Violence is not going to solve the issue they’ve raised, but will aggravate
the prevailing scenario," he said.
Muir said it would not be a bad idea for the youth to take-up the matter with
the leadership of the area.
The PS said the leadership, in turn, would address the issue with the relevant
stakeholders in trying to find common ground. He urged the zone leaders to take
the lead in the issues raised by the youth to ensure that the matters do not get
out of hand.
...don’t be alarmed - MP
MBABANE – Member of Parliament for Mbabane West Constituency Johane Shongwe
says parents must not be alarmed by the threats.
"The law will definitely take its course against all the people who’ll disrupt
the operations of the school," he said. Mahwalala falls directly under
Shongwe’s constituency.
He said, as far as he was concerned, not a single member of the community
reserved the right to close the school.
"On planet earth, there’s law and it is for this reason that I strongly
believe the school can only close shop following a court order and nothing
else," said the legislator.
He assured pupils that SAIM would definitely open this year just like all other
schools in the kingdom.