Swaziland pupils boycott classes in protest against teacher shortage

Pupils at a school in Swaziland (eSwatini) boycotted classes in protest at a shortage of teachers.

Education is in crisis across the kingdom because the government is broke. Many schools are short of teachers and support staff and without basic supplies because the government has not paid suppliers.

The protest took place at KaMkhweli High School on Wednesday (11 March 2020). Pupils had also protested last month.

In the latest protest police were called after senior pupils led a class boycott and chanted slogans and waved tree branches at the school gates.

The Times of eSwatini reported, ‘According to a source, since the beginning of the year, Form V pupils have not been learning science subjects, geography and history because there are no teachers specialising in the aforementioned subjects.’

It added some pupils allegedly made threats against teachers.

They returned to classes after Siphofaneni Member of Parliament Mduduzi Simelane mediated between pupils and school authorities.

Police said no damage was done to property during the protest.

Public services across Swaziland, where King Mswati III rules as an absolute monarch, are in meltdown because the government he handpicked is broke.

In January 2020 it was reported six in ten school support staff had not been paid for the previous three months. 

Phumelele Zulu of the Swaziland Union in Learning and Allied Institutions (SULAI) said 60 percent of its 860 members were owed salaries amounting to E5 million.

In July 2019 Minister of Education and Training Lady Howard-Mabuza met school principals as schools in the kingdom crumbled through lack of funding.

The Swazi Government had not paid schools fees and support staff were sacked as a result. Teaching supplies ran out and in some schools pupils had been without a teacher for more than a year.

The Minister said that plans for building new schools had been put on hold and hiring of teaching staff was frozen.

More than six in ten schools in Swaziland did not have enough teachers because of government financial cutbacks, the eSwatini Principals Association (EPA) President Welcome Mhlanga had previously said.

Howard-Mabuza said the government was broke and could not afford to finance education.

The problem is not new as the government has run the economy into the ground over many years. Public services across the kingdom, including health, education and policing are crumbling. It is unclear how much the government owes and it has itself reported the figure as E4.2 billion (US$260 million) and E2.2 billion.

See also

Swaziland schools run out supplies, exams threatened, as govt financial meltdown bites

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/07/swaziland-schools-run-out-supplies.html

Swaziland Government blocks funds to primary schools in row over pupil numbers

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/01/swaziland-government-blocks-funds-to.html

 

Swaziland breaks promise to pay off its suppliers to halt public services meltdown

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/10/swaziland-breaks-promise-to-pay-off-its.html

Six in ten school support staff in Swaziland not paid for three months as financial crisis bites

Six in ten people working as support staff in schools across Swaziland (eSwatini) have not been paid for the past three months, a trade union reported.

Phumelele Zulu of the Swaziland Union in Learning and Allied Institutions (SULAI) said 60 percent of its 860 members were owed salaries dating back to October last year. 

In total they were owed more than E5 million.

Swaziland which is ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute monarch is in financial meltdown and public services across the kingdom are grinding to a halt.

The Times of eSwatini reported Zulu said the Swazi Government had not released money to pay for the Free Primary Education (FPE) programme. 

Zulu said, ‘The situation, particularly in rural schools, is worse as infrastructure is dilapidated and needs serious upgrading. Paint on the walls is peeling off and windows are broken. We have been raising these issues with the Ministry of Education and Training and urging them to at least find a strategy that would see the grants being released on time to schools but to this day, nothing has changed.’

In July 2019 Minister of Education and Training Lady Howard-Mabuza met school principals as schools in the kingdom crumbled through lack of funding.

The Swazi Government had not paid schools fees and support staff were sacked as a result. Teaching supplies ran out and in some schools pupils had been without a teacher for more than a year.

The Minister said that plans for building new schools had been put on hold and hiring of teaching staff was frozen.

More than six in ten schools in Swaziland did not have enough teachers because of government financial cutbacks, the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) President Welcome Mhlanga had previously said.

Howard-Mabuza said the government was broke and could not afford to finance education.

The problem is not new as the government, appointed  by King has run the economy into the ground over many years. Public services across the kingdom, including health, education and policing are crumbling. The government owes its suppliers about E3 billion (US$215 million).

In July 2019 teachers and school principals marched on government to present a petition calling for urgent action.

See also

Swaziland schools run out supplies, exams threatened, as govt financial meltdown bites

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/07/swaziland-schools-run-out-supplies.html

Swaziland Government blocks funds to primary schools in row over pupil numbers

The Government in Swaziland (eSwatini) is refusing to release funds to some primary schools again this year as a row continues about how pupils are registered.

It will mean money will not be available for teacher and staff salaries and for vital supplies. In the past when funds were not paid some schools closed.

The problem has been happening for the past two years but the government has still not solved it.

It revolves around PIN numbers (personal identification numbers) for children which are issued by the government. Schools are paid funds against a PIN, not the name of a pupil. The amount of grant given depends on the number of pupils enrolled at the school. Many children do not have the numbers and the regional education offices have not been able to verify all those who do.

Many schools failed to meet a December 2019 deadline to submit PINs so will not get the free primary education (FPE) grants that the government is required to pay under the Swaziland Constitution. There are about 650 primary schools with about 240,000 pupils in Swaziland.

Minister of Education and Training Lady Howard-Mabuza, told the Times of eSwatini the problem of late submissions had been going on for years.

She told the newspaper about E3 million was due to be paid in funds.

Last year schools across Swaziland were forced to close because money was not available to pay for supplies such as electricity, chalk and paper.

See also

Chaos and confusion across Swaziland as new school year starts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/01/chaos-and-confusion-across-swaziland-as.html

 

Primary schools grinding to a halt

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/03/primary-schools-grinding-to-halt.html

Up to 200 Swaziland teachers ‘die of stress’ as schools meltdown due to economic crisis

Close to 200 teachers died of stress-related illness in Swaziland / eSwatini over two years. Four teachers a week were being buried and another 100 were said to presently suffering. This was because of the pressure teachers were forced to work under because of the economic meltdown in the kingdom.

The Swaziland News, an online publication, revealed the statistics after an investigation. It said close to 200 teachers died in the two years up March 2019. The Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) said it buried four teachers a week who died of stress-related illness. SNAT also said more than 100 teachers that it knew of were seeking psychological help because of stress. The newspaper reported that the cause of the stress was mainly the working conditions teachers faced. They were poorly paid and overworked because there were so many unfilled teacher vacancies and they lacked resources.

A source told the newspaper, ‘We are the most frustrated professionals in the country yet parents and government expect good results. Another thing, the government wants all children in primary schools to pass, even those who fail, we are told to promote them to the next class, it’s a huge crisis. When a teacher dies, those who remained behind are loaded with extra duties as government has frozen hiring.’

Themba Masuku, the Swazi Deputy Prime Minister, said, ‘The economic situation is really bad.’ He said teachers’ leaders and the Ministry of Education and Training should meet to prioritise spending.

Sikelela Dlamini, Secretary-General of SNAT, said, ‘The DPM is talking “nonsense” by saying we must consult the Education Ministry to find solutions on these issues, he knows that the Ministry has no capacity to resolve these challenges. We can engage the Education Ministry, but nothing will change, it is the central government that should prioritize education.’

The problem is not new as the government, appointed  by King Mswati III the absolute monarch in Swaziland, has run the economy into the ground over many years. Public services across the kingdom, including health, education and policing are crumbling. The government owes its suppliers about E3 billion (US$215 million). Protests from teachers and civil servants have taken place across the kingdom because government has refused to fund cost-of-living salary adjustments. It says it does not have the money. 

Sikelela Dlamini told the Swaziland News, ‘When it’s time to address issues affecting civil servants, government always claim there is no money but it’s always available for royalty.’

The King and his extended family live lavish lifestyles. At his 50^th birthday in 2018 he wore a watch worth US$1.6 million and a suit beaded with diamonds that weighed 6 kg. Days earlier he had taken delivery of his second private jet. This one, an Airbus A340, cost US$13.2 to purchase but with VIP upgrades was estimated to have cost US$30 million.

In 2017 King Mswati was named the third wealthiest King in Africa by the international website Business Insider. It reported he had a net worth of US$200 million (about E2.8 billion in local Swazi currency).

About seven in ten of the estimated 1.2 million population of Swaziland live in abject poverty with incomes less than the equivalent of US$2 per day.

This week, Welcome Mhlanga, President of the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA), told the Times of eSwatini (formerly Times of Swaziland), ‘Most schools have not been paid their grants – free primary education (FPE) and orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) – which are funded by government.’ He warned teaching materials would not be available ahead of examinations.

In July 2019, Minister of Education and Training Lady Howard-Mabuza met school principals. The government had not paid schools fees and support staff were sacked as a result. Teaching supplies ran out and in some schools pupils had been without a teacher for more than a year.

The Minister said that plans for building new schools had been put on hold and hiring of teaching staff was frozen.

More than six in ten schools in Swaziland did not have enough teachers because of government financial cutbacks, Welcome Mhlanga had previously said.

Howard-Mabuza said the government was broke and could not afford to finance education.

See also

Swaziland schools run out supplies, exams threatened, as govt financial meltdown bites

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/07/swaziland-schools-run-out-supplies.html

 

Swaziland children forced to work as groundsmen as Govt delays funding their school

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/07/swaziland-children-forced-to-work-as.html

Chaos and confusion across Swaziland as new school year starts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/01/chaos-and-confusion-across-swaziland-as.html

Swaziland schoolteacher beats mothers for their children’s misbehaviour

When pupils at a school in Swaziland / eSwatini failed to show up to receive a caning a teacher beat their mothers instead.

It happened at the small rural community of Mavalela, near Big Bend.

A community meeting was told that the school’s administration forced the women to take punishment on behalf of their children.

The Times of Swaziland reported one woman said a senior teacher threatened to expel her children from the school if she did not allow herself to be beaten.

She said, ‘The pupils had finished writing their exams and then decided not to report for school. The school’s administration saw this as a violation of the school rules and she ruled that the pupils would be punished when they return to collect their academic reports.’

The Times added for those pupils who had not come to school on that day, the teacher forced parents to take the punishment of their behalf. Several women were beaten on the hand.

The newspaper reported the women did not report the assault to the police because they did not think they would be taken seriously.

One woman told the Times she did not feel embarrassed by the incident at the time as there were other women who were also beaten.

Corporal punishment in schools was banned in 2015 but it continues to be routinely used across the kingdom.

The Mavalela case is not the only one reported in Swaziland of adults being beaten by schoolteachers.

In 2011 it was reported the school principal at Elangeni High School regularly gave out public floggings to adults who dated girls from his school.

The men were forced to attend in front of the entire school, lie down on a bench and receive a whipping. The girls were also flogged. The principal told the Weekend Observer newspaper at the time that if in the usual course of events his pupils were subjected to corporal punishment, why shouldn’t the adults? He said he had flogged many men over a period of time.

The ages of the pupils involved were not disclosed, but in Swaziland it is common for people to still be attending school in their late teens and twenties.

See also

Swaziland teacher arrested after boy, 10, beaten for defiance, needed medical treatment

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/06/swaziland-teacher-arrested-after-boy-10.html

Children fear beatings, miss school

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/children-fear-beatings-miss-school.html

Teachers beat boys on naked buttocks

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/teachers-beat-boys-on-naked-buttocks.html

Schools across Swaziland in chaos as failing Govt runs out of cash

Swaziland / eSwatini Minister of Education and Training Lady Howard-Mabuza met school principals as education in the kingdom crumbles through lack of funding.

The Swazi Government has not paid schools fees and support staff have been sacked as a result. Teaching supplies have run out and in some school pupils have been without a teacher for more than a year.

The Minister said that plans for building new schools had been put on hold and hiring of teaching staff was frozen.

More than six in ten schools in Swaziland do not have enough teachers because of government financial cutbacks, the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) President Welcome Mhlanga had previously said.

Howard-Mabuza said the government was broke and could not afford to finance education.

The problem is not new as the government, appointed  by King Mswati III the absolute monarch in Swaziland, has run the economy into the ground over many years. Public services across the kingdom, including health, education and policing are crumbling. The government owes its suppliers about E3 billion (US$215 million).

On Thursday (18 July 2019) teachers and school principals marched on government to present a petition calling for urgent action.

Despite the financial crisis, King Mswati continues to live lavishly. He has two private airplanes, at least 13 palaces and fleets of top-of-the-range cars. At his 50^th birthday in 2018 he wore a watch worth US$1.6 million and a suit beaded with diamonds that weighed 6 kg. Days earlier he had taken delivery of his second private jet. This one, an Airbus A340, cost US$13.2 to purchase but with VIP upgrades was estimated to have cost US$30 million.

In 2017 King Mswati was named the third wealthiest King in Africa by the international website Business Insider. It reported he had a net worth of US$200 million (about E2.8 billion in local Swazi currency).

About seven in ten of the estimated 1.2 million population live in abject poverty with incomes less than the equivalent of US$2 per day.

See also

Swaziland schools run out supplies, exams threatened, as govt financial meltdown bites

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/07/swaziland-schools-run-out-supplies.html

 

Swaziland children forced to work as groundsmen as Govt delays funding their school

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/07/swaziland-children-forced-to-work-as.html

Chaos and confusion across Swaziland as new school year starts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/01/chaos-and-confusion-across-swaziland-as.html

Swaziland schools run out supplies, exams threatened, as govt financial meltdown bites

The writing of examinations across Swaziland / eSwatini is under threat because the government has not handed over grants to schools and they cannot pay for simple supplies such as paper. Electricity has been cut because of unpaid bills. There is also a long-running shortages of teachers.

Teachers and school principals marched on the Ministry of Education and Training and Cabinet offices to deliver a petition calling for funding to be paid.

The Swaziland Association of Schools Administrators (SASA), the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) with  the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) and National Public Services and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) took part on Thursday (18 July 2019).

SASA’s Chairperson Samkelo Dlamini said government had not paid money to schools and there were no resources to run them. The Swazi Observer reported, ‘He said the Examination Council had released the examination timetable and pupils were expected to go for exams, yet there are no teachers or teaching material. “We wish to put it on record that, your failure to finance education at primary school level and paying for those learners who are orphaned and vulnerable at high schools have rendered the schools becoming day care centres as opposed to institutions that should offer formal education,” Dlamini said.’

Public services across Swaziland, where King Mswati III rules as an absolute monarch, are in meltdown. The Swazi Government, which is not elected but handpicked by the King is broke and owes suppliers about E3 billion (US$215 million).

More than six in ten schools in Swaziland do not have enough teachers because of government financial cutbacks, the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) President Welcome Mhlanga has said.

See also

Swaziland children forced to work as groundsmen as Govt delays funding their school

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/07/swaziland-children-forced-to-work-as.html

 

Chaos and confusion across Swaziland as new school year starts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/01/chaos-and-confusion-across-swaziland-as.html

Swaziland children forced to work as groundsmen as Govt delays funding their school

Pupils in Swaziland / eSwatini are being forced to work as groundsmen at their primary school because the government has not paid grants it owes.

The children at Vulamehlo pick up paper, cut grass and sweep the school yard. The work used to be down by a groundsman but he lost his job because the school could not pay him. This is because like other schools across the kingdom it has not received free primary education (FPE) grants from the government.

Vulamehlo is also not serving meals to the pupils as the school did not have funds to pay school staff, deputy headteacher Cynthia Dlamini told the Times of Swaziland.

She said, ‘We have not received FPE grants yet and this has resulted in our groundsman leaving the school as we have failed to pay him. In the meantime, pupils perform the duties of the groundsman.’

Public services across Swaziland, where King Mswati III rules as an absolute monarch, are in meltdown. The Swazi Government, which is not elected but handpicked by the King is broke and owes suppliers about E3 billion (US$215 million).

More than six in ten schools in Swaziland do not have enough teachers because of government financial cutbacks, the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) President Welcome Mhlanga has said.

Government needs to find E151.9 million for the primary schools across the kingdom to fund FPE. There are about 650 primary schools in Swaziland. The Swazi Constitution requires that all children in the kingdom receive free primary education. There are about 330,000 pupils at school in Swaziland, including about 240,000 at primary schools.

Schoolchildren across Swaziland have been going hungry because the government has not paid suppliers for food under the zondle programme feeding scheme. This has been the case for more than a year. In the past schools have been forced to close because of the shortages.

See also

Chaos and confusion across Swaziland as new school year starts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/01/chaos-and-confusion-across-swaziland-as.html

Armed police deployed in schools across Swaziland to ensure exams take place during teacher pay dispute

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/10/armed-police-deployed-in-schools-across.html