MBABANE – As festivities are over and the opening of schools draws closer, the Ministry of Education and Training has called on head teachers to admit all pupils who passed examinations.
The ministry, through the Principal Secretary Nanikie Mnisi appealed to head teachers to support government’s education initiatives.
Mnisi emphasised that parents should not waste weeks searching for school placements. She also urged support for over 4 000 pupils who obtained unsatisfactory results to redo their grades, stressing the importance of reducing dropouts and ensuring continuity in education.
Meanwhile, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Platform has urged teachers across the country to prioritise and support one another during the ongoing scramble for school spaces, as parents rush to secure placements for their children ahead of the January school opening.
SNAT said it is concerned that, despite teachers playing a critical role in the education system, many of its members continue to struggle to secure school spaces for their own children, even in schools where they serve or contribute professionally.
According to the association, some professions are often given special consideration and first preference when it comes to school placements, while teachers are overlooked, a situation it described as demoralising.
“A valued member of SNAT, proudly wearing a Code 058 T-shirt, should not struggle to get space for their child at school,” stated the association in a message shared on its platform.
Teachers have since taken to the platform to share personal experiences of rejection and frustration, recounting how they failed to secure places for their children despite presenting themselves as educators and members of SNAT. Some said they were turned away by school administrators citing full capacity, while others claimed they were advised to seek placement at distant schools, even when they resided near the institutions in question.
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