Africa-Press – Eswatini. A new secondary school in Big Bend has no single teacher assigned to the 30 pupils who have been enrolled, exposing government’s lack of planning in the allocation and distribution of resources.
This was uncovered yesterday when Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thuli Dladla undertook a tour of schools in the area, together with other Cabinet ministers, including the Education Minister Owen Nxumalo.
The delegation was shocked to discover that Mahlabaneni Secondary School had no teachers assigned to the school, despite that it is a new school.
As a result, for two weeks, pupils have been left idle and in the care of the primary school headteacher nearby, who is keeping the gates open so that the pupils can come in to while their time.
Two other teachers from the primary school assist the head teacher to look after the pupils.
This school was constructed by government with the assistance of USA Distillers in Big Bend.
Mahlabaneni Primary School Headteacher Praise Dlamini told the ministerial delegation that he was currently overseeing the secondary school and had been responsible for the enrollment of about 30 pupils so far.
However, he said some of the parents were already disillusioned about the situation and were now considering other options as a result of the teacher crisis experienced in the school.
Dlamini pleaded with the ministry of education and the delegation to bring in teachers to the school as a matter of priority.
He revealed that in the time being, he had asked the two primary teachers from his school, who were qualified to be high school teachers, to supervise the pupils during the day.
He also stated that pupils from the school would not be able to learn practical subjects because of lack of equipment and made an example of ICT subjects which the pupils would not be able to learn due to the lack of computers in the school.
Dlamini raised his concerns as he said the lack of practical subjects may reduce opportunities of the pupils in the future.
However, the head teacher appreciated the ministry of education for delivering food on time and the OVCs grants.
Deputy Prime Minister Thuli Dladla was disappointed to learn of the situation, lamenting Cabinet’s poor planning as being responsible for this embarrassment. She admitted that this could have been avoided.
The DPM said as ministers, they should have done proper planning strategy and would have been aware about the lack of teachers in the school and address the matter on time. The DPM stated that if they had had their finger on the pulse, they would have been able to bring in teachers on time.
She said they would work on their planning so that the mistake would not happen in the future, saying they would work on having a clear plan every year.
“We will have a clear plan so that every time when schools open we will know if we have enough teachers,” she said.
However, she appreciated the USA Distillers for the great job they had done in building the school and also appreciated the primary school headteacher for overseeing the secondary school together with the two teachers.
Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo said they would address the matter and would bring in teachers as soon as next week.
Speaking on behalf of USA Distillers, John Creamer Administrative Director said they would continue supporting the school by extending it.
The administrative director disclosed that they were looking forward to opening a vocational center next to the school so that pupils could enroll at the centre once they complete their high school level.
The company had already assisted the school by building flashing toilets and providing floor tiles, celling in the three classrooms as well as fencing around the school.
Nkilongo Member of Parliament Petro Sibandze hailed the company for the great work they had done in contributing towards the construction of the secondary school.
However, the MP raised concerns about the pupils being left behind since others schools had already started conducting their lessons.
He also urged the teachers to inform parents to warn their children to avoid vandalising the school.
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