The short-lived era of free
primary school education in Swaziland has officially come to an end. The move contravenes
the kingdom’s constitution.
The Swazi Government has
approved a circular allowing the Ministry of Education and Training to charge
additional educational fees over and above the Free Primary Education (FPE)
grant and Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) grant from government.
The Times
of Swaziland,
the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom rules by King Mswati III,
sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, reported on Monday (28 August
2017), ‘The signing and endorsing of the circulars brings to an end the impasse
that seems to have existed between the ministry and school administrators.’
Principal Secretary (PS) in
the Ministry of Education Pat Muir advised all primary schools, with
effect from January 2017 to forward applications for charging additional fees
over and above the stipulated free primary education, the newspaper reported.
The directive goes against
S29 of the Swaziland Constitution.
The Swazi Government pays
E580 per child but this is supported by the European Union.
School principals complained
that the money given to them was inadequate. Local media reported that some schools had declared bankruptcy.
The news of the scrapping
of free schooling came in March 2017 when Dr Phineas Magagula, Minister of
Education, told a budget debate in parliament that top-up fees had been
authorised. No additional money would 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.
Following the latest
announcement, Zwelithini Mndzebele, Secretary of the Swaziland National Association
of Teachers (SNAT), criticised the move. The Times of Swaziland reported on Tuesday (29 August 2017) he
said there was no need for top-up fees at primary school level given that this
was a human right enshrined in the Constitution of the land.
‘Government has the
obligation to offer Free Primary Education with no option of top-ups as that
affects parents,’ he said.
He called on government to
increase the FPE grant instead of seeking an ‘easy way out’. He further said this
was the same case with secondary or high schools.
He noted that there was a
commission set to view the issue of top-up fees in schools and it had offered
recommendations. The educator said it would be best if government revisited
those recommendations.
The task team, in its
recommendations, had noted that top-up fees in schools were the reason many
Swazi pupils attended schools in South Africa. The task team compiled the
report on the issue of top-up fees in fulfilment of the dictates of legal
notice No. 125 of 2014. This, according to concerns raised by head teachers and
school committees, depreciated the quality of education as the funds were
insufficient to run schools, the Times
reported.
See also
KING’S
ROLE IN SCHOOLS CHAOS IGNORED
SWAZILAND:
MASSIVE ‘SECURITY’ SPENDING
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/03/swaziland-massive-security-spending.html
No comments:
Post a Comment