Govt to hire 1 500 temporary teachers

By Phephile Motau

The government has given the Ministry of Education and Training the nod to hire 1 500 temporary teachers.

This was revealed by the Minister of Education and Training Lady Howard-Mabuza during her school’s opening address. The Eswatini National Association of Teachers (SNAT) had raised a concern to the ministry that they wanted 5 000 teachers to be hired before schools opened.

“Regarding teachers, the government has granted the ministry 1 500 temporary posts for teachers,” the minister said.

The minister further showed appreciation to all those who contributed and cooperated towards the smooth opening of schools. She said the Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) worked tirelessly in expediting the release of Grade VII and Form 3 results. Howard-Mabuza said the government rescheduled the opening of schools and released salaries earlier.

“Because of the aforementioned, parents and guardians were afforded ample time for a better start to the school calendar year, considering that some parents still needed to secure places for their children in schools and also make the required payments.”

She also appealed to schools to demonstrate the same level of cooperation when it comes to the education of a child. The minister warned schools against the admission of students based on their grades and said all students who passed Grade VII and Form III, regardless of their grades qualified for spaces in the next grade level.

Howard-Mabuza added that schools must be considerate of the socio-economic backgrounds of the children. She said it was not morally right to discriminate against these children based on their socioeconomic status.

“I once again appeal to school administrators to figure out the best way in which these children may be accommodated. One way is to engage parents and guardians on best terms of fee payments,” she said and further said no child deserved to be embarrassed because parents had not paid school fees.

She also appealed to parents to play their part in ensuring that the needs of schools are met. She said parents also had a role to play in the education of their children and that they must not hide behind the ministry’s plea with headteachers not to expel learners for owing school fees.

Howard-Mabuza said the ministry was doing its best to distribute school books directly to schools to reduce transport expenditure. The minister said all children, including pregnant pupils, should return to class and announced that government would add Grade 0 to 80 more schools, bringing the total to 240 schools.

She also said the government acknowledged that the fees paid for free primary education should be increased, and they would do so. She said this would take many years, considering the government’s financial condition caused by the pandemic and other issues.

“It is my prayer and belief that the year 2023 will be a better year, compared to the past three years. we tried the best we could to salvage the time we lost to Covid-19 and other challenges. By all accounts, in terms of required teaching and learning times, this should be a normal year,” she said.