Minister calls for background checks in teacher recruitment

MBABANE – The Teaching Service Commission (TSC) will introduce background checks in its recruitment process to ensure that hiring is based strictly on merit.

The Minister for Education and Training, Owen Nxumalo, recommended that teacher recruitment should not be based solely on interview performance, but should also consider the teacher’s track record in the classroom, including the quality of pupils they have produced.

“This will help assess how many As or Bs the teacher has achieved prior to the interview and ultimately boost the quality of educators hired,” he stated. He cautioned that some candidates may be eloquent and persuasive during interviews, yet their previous student results may only reflect low grades, such as Es and Fs.

 “You find that the background reveals E, D and F pupils, yet the teacher can express themselves impressively during interviews,” he said, adding that background checks would help avoid such misleading impressions.

Nxumalo further called for transparency in the recruitment process, stressing that promotions must be based on merit. “It damages the reputation of the ministry if someone is promoted, yet their background reflects Es and Fs. We urge that promotions should be based on merit,” he said.

The minister made these remarks in a recent House of Senate debate on the ministry’s first quarter performance report.

This was in response to a call from Deputy Senate President Ndumiso Mdluli for the confirmation of senior teachers at schools where they had been performing duties of a head teacher in the absence of one.

The minister also emphasised that the process for appointing head teachers must be followed diligently. He clarified that senior teachers acting in the role of head teacher during vacancies were not entitled to automatic promotion. “There are no privileges that come with being a senior teacher. Everyone must go through the same process and be interviewed if they want the post,” he said.

The minister reiterated that all vacancies were publicly advertised, and acting positions do not offer an advantage over other applicants. “You have to compete and prove yourself,” he stressed.

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