MBABANE – Relief!
Teachers on contract will receive their letters of employment by Tuesday.
This was announced by the Minister for Education and Training, Owen Nxumalo and the Principal Secretary, Nanikie Mnisi, alongside the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) in separate interviews yesterday.
Nxumalo said he was pleased that his ministry and the TSC had reached an agreement to renew the teachers’ contracts. However, there had been strong sentiments that the contracts should not be renewed until the civil service rightsizing report had been adopted.
Responding to this, Nxumalo explained that the report had not yet been submitted to Cabinet, and therefore, teachers on contract were expected to continue providing teaching services to pupils.
Principal Secretary Nanikie Mnisi confirmed that the letters of employment would be ready by Tuesday.
She clarified that teachers who would not receive their letters were those advised to upgrade their qualifications to a Postgraduate Certificate (PGC). “We do need the instructor certificate,” she said.
Following the recent salary review, teachers on contract saw their monthly pay increase from around E4 000 to approximately E10 000.
Mnisi added that any teacher on contract who possesses the required qualification should expect to receive his or her letter on Tuesday.
On Monday, the PS also noted that the ministry would be processing requests for transfers. “We are alive to the fact that teachers must be closer to their families,” she said.
Teaching Service Commission Executive Secretary, Nhlanhla Dlamini, said the teachers would collect their letters from the regional education offices (REOs).
He revealed that in some cases, certificates submitted to the TSC for employment purposes were found to be fraudulent, resulting in the employer being unable to renew the affected contracts.
Dlamini said the TSC, as the employer, periodically reviews certificates to verify the authenticity of academic documents. “We don’t need bogus teachers,” he said.
There are currently 1 286 teachers employed on contract.
Dlamini explained that the duration of these contracts is usually two years, covering teachers at the primary, secondary and high school levels.
When asked about the availability of pension benefits for contracted teachers, he said the matter remained under serious consideration and discussion.
Lot Vilakati, the Secretary General of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), could not be reached for comment when he was telephoned several times yesterday afternoon.
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