SNAT DELIVERS PETITION, GIVES GOVT 7 DAYS TO RESPOND

MBABANE – SNAT yesterday successfully delivered its petition to Cabinet on critical issues affecting teachers in the country and gave government seven days to respond.

SNAT is an acronym of Swaziland National Association of Teachers. An attempt to deliver the same petition by SNAT last month was prevented by the police who blocked protesters from marching towards the Cabinet Offices to deliver the petition to the Acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku. However, the branch and national leadership of SNAT was yesterday successful in delivering the petition, which was received by Khangeziwe Jele, who represented the Principal Secretary to Cabinet, Lindiwe Mbingo. SNAT Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini handed over the petition. Dlamini said all teachers, whose contracts had been renewed, must be paid their salaries this month and all outstanding allowances that were supposed to be paid to the teachers such as commuting allowance must also be released immediately.

Contracts

He also emphasised the need for all teachers whose contracts expired in December 2019 and 2020 to be re-engaged. He called upon government to end the casualisation of the teaching profession by withdrawing Legal Notice Number 147 of 2009, through which government legitimised the employment of teachers on two-year fixed term contracts. Dlamini also mentioned that government must upgrade all B2 posts to C3, so that those teachers who held Primary Teachers Diplomas (PTDs) could be engaged on a permanent and pensionable basis. The secretary general said there had to be creation of more C3 and C5 posts in secondary schools so that those teachers who held Secondary Teachers Diplomas (STDs) and BA plus PGCCE, who were wrongly placed in primary schools, were relevantly placed in well-deserved posts in secondary schools. This, he said, would further create space for PTD holders who were roaming the streets without jobs.

Dlamini said there was an acute shortage of teachers in schools because government lacked the much-desired political will to employ them, resulting in overcrowded classrooms, much against the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and COVID-19 regulations and protocols.

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