Education

MBABANE – The first day of school was bittersweet for pupils, teachers and head teachers, with a shortage of educators, furniture and food in some schools.

Most affected were rural schools, which are also recovering from the recent storm damage that blew away rooftops, broke furniture and rendered roads to schools impassable.  

The Ministry of Education and Training dispatched high-level inspection teams led by Regional Education officers to visit schools, especially in rural areas and ascertain readiness to learn.

It was during these visits that the teams discovered that some schools lacked adequate teachers while others struggled with furniture.

In the Manzini Region, though all schools were operational, it was found that some food will only last about three weeks.

Stationery and textbooks were received in advance. In the Lubombo Region, Siteki Nazarene High reported a shortage of five teachers.  The team also introduced head teachers in a few schools, such as Hlutse High School.

Others, such as Lubombo Central Primary were found to be without head teachers. A senior teacher at Lubombo Central was asked to assume the reins in the interim.

Magojela High School is operating without a head teacher, leading to the appointment of the senior teacher as acting head teacher. At Holy Rosary High School, the newly-appointed head teacher is expected to be formally introduced tomorrow, with the senior teacher continuing in an acting role in the meantime.

Mgebiseni Primary School is also under temporary leadership after its head teacher was reported to be indisposed, resulting in the senior teacher being asked to act.

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Lower grades stay home as storm repairs continue

MCUBA – Lower-grade pupils from storm-affected schools will spend more time at home, while other pupils will be squeezed into the few available undamaged classrooms as they await the completion of construction on damaged blocks.

This was revealed by the head teachers of the affected schools during a visit by this publication. Notably, eight schools were hit by a storm in early December last year in northern Hhohho.

In response, the Ministry of Education and Training announced 24 contractors for the rehabilitation of these schools, further allocating E30 million for the project.

During the visit, it was observed that some pupils were sitting under trees, while some parents were seen scrambling to secure spaces for their children in various grades.

Mcuba Primary Head teacher Sabelo Mamba said they made a decision to open only the upper classes while they wait for the construction of other classrooms to be completed.

 “We will open for only Grade VI and VII, whom we are going to accommodate in the available classes, while the other classes remain closed,” he said.

However, Mamba noted that the school is yet to officially announce this to parents during a meeting on Thursday regarding the current situation.

“Immediately once the other classes are finished, under the guidance of the Regional Education Officer, the pupils will return to resume lessons,” he added.

Mamba mentioned that the school prioritise the safety of the pupils by keeping them at home to avoid injury while construction is underway. When asked about the lost time and the postponed opening, Mamba said they are looking forward to being guided by the REO on how to cover the syllabus.

He expressed gratitude for the ‘nkwe’ spirit implemented in addressing the aftermath of the storm. Mamba commended the work done by contractors and expressed hope that by mid-February, everything would be finished. He added that teachers are ready and flexible to make up for lost time.

 “We are ready to work extra time, even on holidays, to ensure we cover the syllabus and that pupils have good results at the end of the year,” he said. He further suggested that the ministry consider making Saturdays compulsory for lessons and investigate the issue of overtime pay.

Mkhuzweni Primary School Head teacher Henson Dlamini said his school was among the most affected.

“We have 10 classes that we cannot access as schools opened today. This gives us a big challenge as we cannot conduct lessons,” he said.

He noted that currently, only Grade 0 to Grade II pupils have classrooms.

“Grade III to V do not have classroom blocks and they have triple streams.”

To mitigate this, Henson said the school would approach local churches, including the Assembly of God and Holy Union Church to ask for permission to use their halls as temporary classrooms.

*Full article available on Pressreader*

The Minister for Education and Training Owen Nxumalo (2nd L) joined teachers at Mqolo Primary School during the assembly to welcome pupils for the new academic year.

One of the classrooms at Mqolo Primary School that was burnt during the 2021 unrest. The minister for Education has promised to send a team from Microprojects to fix the building. (Pics: Mlondzi Nkambule)