MBABANE – There are currently 28 new schools that have been constructed since 2020, which to date have not been allocated permanent posts for a full complement of teachers.
This is slated in a response to a private member’s motion moved by Mayiwane Member of Parliament, Sicelo Khungankhosi Dlamini, seconded by Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini.
The response to the motion was tabled by Minister for Public Service, Mabulala Maseko, in Parliament on Wednesday.
The legislators moved that the minister for Public Service explain to the House what informed the decision to place qualified contract teachers on B2, whereas they should be placed on C3.
“When is that anomaly going to be fixed as it has brought emotional stress to the teachers? The minister should table a report on this matter within 21 days after adoption of this motion by the House,” read the private members’ motion.
In his report, the minister detailed that employment of teachers on a fixed term contract basis was not there in the past years.
He explained that this phenomenal is relatively new as it started after the introduction of FPE, which came with a sudden increased demand for the employment of more teachers in order to meet school enrolments.
The House will recall that the Ministry of Education and Training introduced the FPE in 2009 in line with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, 2005, Section 29 (6) which states that: “Every liSwati child shall, within three years of the commencement of this Constitution, have the right to free education in public schools at least up to the end of primary school, beginning with the first grade.”
The minister further revealed that FPE dispensation necessitated the employment of additional teachers due to the increase in the enrolment of students in government schools and an increase in the number of class streams.
He asserted that schools that did not have sufficient classrooms constructed additional classrooms to accommodate the increased number of students.
“Moreover, certain subjects like Religious Education were made a core subject requiring additional teachers for that subject. Government also endorsed as critical the subject of ICT and other TVET programmes such as Consumer Science and Design Technology. The construction of new schools by the Ministry of Education is also another factor which contributes to the increased demand for more teachers,” said the minister.
Unfortunately, Maseko said these positive infrastructure development initiatives of building new schools are not preceded by an assessment of government’s affordability to sustain the increasing demand for the employment of more teachers.
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