GOVT’S POSITION ON FPE KILLING SMALL BUSINESSES

Mr Editor,

Kindly publish my letter concerning the issue of Free Primary Education, which was introduced for the Swazi child six years ago.

The above issue in order to be smoothly handled needs all the parties concerned to have an input. The Ministry of Education and Training if it tries to use it top-down approach will never help save the current situation. Firstly may I point out that the King’s speech as very clear to a true Swazi. He said concerned parties should find better ways of avoiding the need to demand top up fees. Top up fees are needed even in our personal lives in general.

For an example, those who cannot afford to pay dowry in full are expected to pay the balance at some point. When the programme was introduced some years ago, the ministry provided a list on how much government would pay for all grades. Five years have come and gone but the list has never been revised.

Is it because head teachers purchase school equipment on staff prices? The very ministry, which should be adjusting the funds according to inflation is of late selling the lives of those head teachers to their communities.
If I were to make an example of the Exam fee expected from government for seven subjects. The amount is E340 but on the other had the Exams Council expects E449. Who do they expect to pay the difference of E109?
The ministry never bailed us out of the suppliers. The ministry expects head teachers to take legal action against those parents who don’t pay for their children.

How possible is that? Whose funds are they to use for such legal steps. Isn’t it an abuse of other people’s resources? Who made such policies?  Government must spell out clearly that it no longer expects new projects in schools. In the past the powers to develop schools were decentralised. A decision to build a classroom was done at parents’ level then reported regionally without any hastles.

 Now such dreams after the two stages above you then have to wait for a green light from head office before you start collecting funds for the project. I am also a culprit of this because I made blocks after sending three non-replied letters.
But due to government insistence and telling the public not to pay top up fees, parents have stopped doing so and I’m concerned about my block selling business and equally concerned about having to refund those who had already paid. My life is more important than the project.

Since I came to the school in my area, all projects were done by the parents but now the very employer, that being government, we are now referred to as culprits. Lafaelihle kakhulu.

Concerned Citizen M.24           

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