Africa-Press – Eswatini. In an effort to better understand the challenges faced by schools, the Ministry of Education and Training will embark on a fact-finding mission.
Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo said officials from his ministry will embark on the exercise with some Cabinet ministers for two days, starting tomorrow. Nxumalo said the team would visit schools, in various parts of the country, to gather information about the issues that are faced by schools. He was speaking during a press conference on the readiness of schools for the academic year, yesterday. According to Nxumalo, schools are ready for this academic year as government has disbursed the free primary education (FPE) grants, stationery and food to schools.
Records
He said the schools, which had not received FPE grants, were those in the Hhohho Region, as they submitted their records late. He assured the schools and parents that the schools which had not received their share of the FPE grant would be paid this week. Nxumalo explained that government had committed itself to all the key things needed by schools, thus they did not see any reason that would hinder a successful reopening of schools. Adding, he revealed that starting tomorrow, together with other ministers, they would be visiting schools to assess the situation on the ground and establish if the different reports they had been hearing about schools were true. “We will start the assessments with ministers from tomorrow and Thursday. As ministers, we work collectively and there is a need for their assistance, because the schools are too many.
Visit
“We will visit various schools, so that we can establish what the real situation on the ground is,” Nxumalo said. The minister stated that they noted with dismay, the reports on the destructions caused by the storm to schools. He said the ministry, with Microprojects, had started repairing the damages in the affected schools. Nxumalo assured the nation that the ministry had tried to ensure that resources were availed, so that pupils could learn effectively. Furthermore, Nxumalo warned head teachers against expelling pupils due to owed school fees. He explained that if head teachers had a problem in terms of owed fees, they should engage parents and desist from involving pupils in this regard.
Nxumalo mentioned that in terms of owed orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) and FPE grants, head teachers should engage government, not to expel the pupils. “Each and every child has the right to be educated. We want to avoid situations whereby pupils are expelled from school due to owed fees. When a parent doesn’t pay school fees, head teachers should deal with the parents and not involve the pupils,” he said. Nxumalo also called for cooperation between parents and schools. He highlighted that pupils should not be restricted from accessing education and the future of every child should be protected.
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