SCHOOLS ONLY 33.3% READY FOR OPENING - SNAT

MBABANE – As the 2025 school calendar begins today, schools are reportedly only 33.3 per cent ready for the term, according to the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT). The teachers’ union conducted an inspection of the various workstations assigned to their members and concluded that, despite government having had a full year to prepare for the school openings this year, things were not in order. SNAT and its affiliate, the Swaziland Association of Schools Administrators (SASA), found that most schools are nowhere near ready to kick-start teaching.  They determined that a variety of crucial interventions for the operation of schools were lagging, while some had not yet been delivered. These interventions include the payment of free primary education (FPE) grants, orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) grants, as well as the delivery of essential furniture (desks and chairs) and other teaching aids.

Temporary

By the end of business yesterday, SNAT indicated that 60 per cent of temporary teachers had received their posting letters, 90 per cent had received stationery (exercise books, pens and rulers), around 40 per cent had received textbooks, but none had received the FPE or OVC grants. Since last week, the SNAT National Executive Committee (NEC) has been visiting schools, particularly those in remote areas, to assess their readiness for the new academic year and to identify the challenges they face.  These challenges include poor roads, deteriorating infrastructure, the unavailability of teaching aids and insufficient funds for running schools and compensating teachers. SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati highlighted that for years, whenever the association raised concerns about these challenges, the Ministry of Education and Training requested evidence.

“The ministry has been telling parents and the nation at large that schools are ready to kick-start the 2025 school calendar; however, the situation on the ground says otherwise. It is for that reason we embarked on this exercise to bring evidence for the entire nation to see,” he said. The SG noted that they initially earmarked 10 schools that were affected by recent storms, including those impacted during the storms of August 2023, just before the general elections. He expressed concern that even schools affected in 2023 had not been attended to. “Ndlalane Primary School was affected by a storm in 2023 on the eve of the primary elections, but it has not been addressed,” he said.

Vilakati remarked that the union has been persistently urging the ministry about Ndlalane, but their pleas fell through. He said three head teachers had come and gone at Ndlalane Community Primary School within a year because FPE grants had not resolved the school’s issues. During their visits, they also assessed Mtfonjeni Primary School, which has a total of seven classrooms, three of which had their roofing blown off, leaving only four available for learning. Additionally, he shared that there was a problem concerning pupils who failed Grade VII in 2024 and had to repeat.  “There are already more pupils from Grade VI than the repeaters.”  He further said among many others, schools could not adequately function due to the lack of desks and chairs for both learners and teachers.

Vilakati explained that the available furniture was worn out.  Furthermore, he expressed frustration that in the 10 schools they visited, the ministry had promised to supply mobile classrooms, but that promise remains unfulfilled to this day. He observed that rural schools are lagging behind compared to urban schools, particularly concerning infrastructure. The SG said the roads leading to some of the schools visited were in an extremely poor condition, making it difficult for government trucks to reach the schools and deliver books, exercise books, food and other essential learning aids. As of yesterday, he reported that schools had yet to receive FPE grants, despite the ministry committing to timely deliveries.
Vilakati insisted that the delay in paying FPE significantly impacted primary schools since they were not allowed to charge top-up fees.

He added that high schools were in a slightly better position, as they were able to begin operations using fees paid by parents and top-up fees while awaiting the OVC grants.
These concerns formed part of the six demands made by SNAT ahead of the school opening to the government. Overall, Vilakati said government has not met even 50 per cent of the demands put forth by the teachers’ union, leading them to believe that most rural schools, particularly primary schools, were unprepared for the new term. On the other hand, SASA Secretary Gcina Thusi said if the FPE grant was not received, it would pose a challenge. He said most primary schools lack alternative sources of income and depend solely on government grants. “If the prerequisites are not in place, our readiness is compromised,” he said. Meanwhile, Eswatini Principal Association (EPA) Secretary General Mduduzi Masilela expressed uncertainty regarding the overall readiness of schools to open.

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