Armed police were deployed
at schools across Swaziland to make sure exams took place during a teachers’
pay dispute.
They went to ‘almost all
schools’ in the kingdom on Monday (1 October 2018), the first day of national
school examinations, according to a
media report. Prison warders from the kingdom’s correctional services were
also deployed.
Swaziland National
Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Zweli Mndzebele ‘alleged that
police officers forcefully took over the invigilation job in some of the
schools,’ the Times
of Swaziland reported.
The Peoples United Democratic
Party (PUDEMO), a banned political party in Swaziland (recently
renamed Eswatini by absolute monarch King Mswati III), called the police deployment
a ‘militarization
of schools’.
In a statement it said, ‘We have
learnt with shock this crazy move by the royal regime, which is hell-bent at
creating an environment of fear in response to the legitimate and reasonable
demands of teachers and other civil servants.’
PUDEMO added, ‘a police
state’ had been extended to schools.
The Times reported pupils
were ‘shocked’. It added, ‘Head teachers in schools around Lubombo had to calm
pupils and allay any fears when armed police officers arrived for the
commencement of examinations.’
It added, ‘However, despite
the attempts by headteachers, most pupils could not understand what armed
officers were doing in the premises of their schools.’
The Times reported, ‘At Malindza High School, pupils were reportedly
shocked by the arrival of the police.
‘As such, Headteacher
Makhosazane Mkhonta had to explain what the officers were doing within the
school premises.
‘“I told them police we
here to monitor the examination and not to arrest them for any petty offences
they may have committed,” said Mkhonta.’
The Swazi Observer reported
plain clothes police ‘disguised as officers from the Examination Council of
Eswatini’ entered examination rooms. ‘The uniformed ones spent most of their
time at the gates of the schools,’ it added.
It added, ‘In most of the
schools that were visited by this publication, uniformed officers were manning
the gates while others were patrolling the premises.’
Teachers are campaigning for
a 6.55 percent cost of living pay rise, the government says it is broke and has
offered zero percent. The industrial Court in Swaziland forced
SNAT to postpone a three-day strike due to start on 25 September 2018. SNAT has since said its members would
attend school but not work normally.
PUDMO in its statement said the Swazi Government
had ‘increased
by 28 percent the salaries of the police as an act of “greasing them up” in
readiness for creating a militarized environment in the country’.
See also
Swaziland
Police Ready to Invigilate School Exams During Teachers’ Pay Dispute
https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/10/swaziland-police-ready-to-invigilate.html
Swaziland Teachers Want U.S. to Tell Absolute Monarch to Stop Wasting Public Money on Himself
Swaziland Teachers Want U.S. to Tell Absolute Monarch to Stop Wasting Public Money on Himself
Swaziland
Court Forces Teachers to Postpone Strike, Bans Public Servants’ Action
Swaziland
Police Shoot, Wound Teacher During Protest Over Pay, Tensions High on Eve of
National Election
https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/swaziland-police-shoot-and-wound.html
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