MINISTRY DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM WORST SCHOOLS

MBABANE – In an unusual occurrence, the Ministry of Education and Training has issued letters demanding answers from head teachers of low-performing schools in the external examinations.
The letters were issued to a number of head teachers in the Hhohho and Lubombo regions, through the regional education officers. The head teachers were given seven days to submit written responses explaining their schools’ poor performances. The contents of the letter show that the primary duties of a head teacher include ensuring that teachers perform their duties efficiently and effectively, which should translate to learners performing exceptionally in their studies.

Examination

“Unfortunately, your school performed dismally in the EPC 2024 examination as displayed by the fact that 27.14 per cent of learners failed their examination. On that note, the Ministry of Education and Training hereby gives you an opportunity to take her into confidence and explain the reasons for the poor performance,” reads the letter. The letter further stipulates that beyond citing reasons for the poor performance, the ministry would like the head teacher to share specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time- bound (SMART) recommendations of how he or she, and other stakeholders, plan to remedy the situation so that it does not recur. “You are invited to submit to the regional education office (REO) a written response within seven days from the date you received this letter. You are encouraged to give this matter the seriousness and urgency that it rightfully deserves,” reads the letter.

According to Minister for Education and Training, Owen Nxumalo, the number of pupils who were unsuccessful in the 2024 Grade VII examination increased by over 400.
The minister revealed that 2 716 pupils failed the Grade VII examinations this year. The Junior Certificate (JC) national pass rate this year stood at 83.15 per cent, while in 2023 it was at 82.01 per cent. Despite the increase from last year’s pass rate, the 2024 pass rate was the second worst since 2019. This is the first time the ministry has sent letters to head teachers of poor-performing schools in both the JC and Eswatini Primary Education (EPC), to give reasons for their poor performance.      

Clarified

Hhohho REO Dr Nkosinathi Nkambule clarified that no head teacher was being charged, but this was a move by the ministry to try and understand the reasons behind the poor performances by the schools, in a quest to assist them in arresting the situation.  Nkambule submitted that the aim was to appreciate the challenges faced by the poor performing schools, collect the data and use it to find long-lasting solutions to it. He mentioned that if the head teachers were being charged for poor performance, their names and the schools they come from would be published in the letters. He clarified that the omission of that information was deliberate because they were not being charged.  “This should not be interpreted as though the head teachers are being charged. The ministry simply wants to appreciate the challenges faced by the schools as they execute their duties and find solutions to mitigate those challenges,” he said.

Dr Nkambule revealed that some of the schools highlighted that they had their infrastructure damaged due to harsh weather conditions, hence their learning environment was compromised. “Our plea is for the head teachers who received the letters to give feedback to the ministry so that their challenges could be attended to accordingly,” he said. Sitsatsaweni Primary School recorded the highest number of failures in the 2024 EPC results. According to statistics by the Examination Council of Eswatini (ECESWA), the school in the Lubombo Region had 164 candidates and only 55 of them passed the examination.

Classes

The school recorded 22 Second Classes, 33 Third Classes and 109 Fails. Overall, the school recorded a pass rate of 33.54 per cent. Ngcoseni High School has recorded the highest number of fails in the 2024 JC results. The school, which has achieved the worst results in the past five years, recorded 76 fails this year. Out of 166 pupils, 90 passed the examination.
None of the pupils obtained a Merit pass. Six obtained a First Class, 48 Second Class and the 76 Fails. The school’s percentage fail rate was 45.78 per cent.

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