Free primary school education in Swaziland is a thing
of the past as schools are to be allowed to charge parents ‘top-up’ fees.
This goes against S29 of the Swaziland Constitution.
The Swazi Government pays E580 per child but this is
supported by the European Union. The cost to European taxpayers since 2011 has
been US$8 million.
School principals have complained that the money given
to them was inadequate. Local
media reported that some schools had declared
bankruptcy.
Dr Phineas Magagula, Minister of Education, told a
budget debate in parliament that top-up fees had been authorised.
Now, parents will be sent a bill for their children’s’
education. No additional money will be given by the Government.
Up until December 2016, the EU had spent a total
amount of E110 million (US$8 million) to fund the Free Primary Education
Programme in Swaziland. In 2015, it reportedly sponsored 34,012 learners in 591
schools. The EU plans to continue paying for the school fees until the end of
2018.
The EU started funding FPE for first grade pupils in
the whole country in 2011.
The decision to charge fees contravenes S29 of the
Swaziland Constitution which states, ‘Every Swazi child shall within three
years of the commencement of this Constitution [2005] have the right to free
education in public schools at least up to the end of primary school, beginning
with the first grade.’
In
February 2017, nearly
E2.7 billion (US$216 million) was allocated in the national budget for the
kingdom’s security forces that comprise the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force
(USDF), Royal Swaziland Police Service (RSPS) and His Majesty’s Correctional
Services (HMCS).
Security
will take up 12.4 percent of Swaziland’s total budget of E21.7 bn ($US1.66 bn),
up 11 percent from last year.
Education was allocated E3.5 billion.
See also
SWAZILAND:
MASSIVE ‘SECURITY’ SPENDING
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