Mbabane – Owen Nxumalo, the Minister of Education and Training, has warned against a purported scheme by the Swaziland National Teachers Association (SNAT) to render public schools unmanageable.
Following reports of arguments and verbal statements made on October 25, teachers’ day, which also happened to be the SNAT’s 97th anniversary, Nxumalo summoned a news conference at his Mbabane headquarters to strongly denounce the alleged plan on Friday.
There were statements made during the festivities where Nxumalo was an honoured guest that suggested not all teachers were free to take part.
The minister stated that although certain statements may have been made in the heat of the moment out of rage and frustration, he became aware that an intervention was required due to the unsubstantiated severity of the SNAT threat to “cause anarchy” among non-union schools.
According to Nxumalo, SNAT members are still committed to making every school whose principal is a member of the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA) ‘ungovernable.’
“There were sentiments that they would visit all schools where their principals do not affiliate with SNAT but EPA and cause anarchy. We would like, as a ministry, to warn against that. The headteachers did not take the threats lightly,” he said.
The minister said that His Majesty King Mswati III was a proponent of peace at school, which he always emphasises.
He also apologised to principals who felt threatened by the sentiments and said that there had been extensive consultations within the relevant parties.
Nxumalo said that the sentiments were irresponsible. Nevertheless, he said the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), SNAT and EPA had been engaged regarding the said threats.
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