Lobamba – The Government of Eswatini has been challenged to explain how it intends to close the widening gap between the number of students seeking tertiary education funding and those who are eventually awarded scholarships.
The challenge came from Manzini Regional Member of Parliament Thandeka Mavuso, who questioned the Ministry of Labour and Social Security after its first quarter performance report revealed that 6 600 students had applied for government scholarships, while only 3 350 were set to benefit.
Mavuso said the figures meant thousands of applicants would remain without financial assistance and questioned whether government had a sustainable plan to ensure that more eligible students are supported in future.
She asked the ministry to explain what steps were being taken to increase scholarship opportunities and avoid a situation where many young people are unable to continue with tertiary education due to lack of funding.
The MP also questioned whether government’s current scholarship allocation was sufficient to meet the growing demand for tertiary education support.
In response, Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi said government was working towards expanding the scholarship programme, with the number of beneficiaries expected to rise to more than 4 500 students in the 2026/27 financial year.
Buthelezi said the increase would be achieved through improved management of student cohorts, as many continuing students had completed their studies, creating room for new entrants.
He told the committee that the number of students admitted into the scholarship programme had declined in previous years, at one stage dropping to around 2 000, before government started increasing the intake.
“This year we will be able to accommodate over 4 500 students, which shows an increase of about 1 000 students,” Buthelezi said.
The Minister, however, warned that increasing admissions had to be carefully managed because every additional student placed a financial obligation on government in subsequent years.
He said government had also revised the scholarship cut-off point from 30 points to 29 points following recommendations from the Pre-Service Tertiary Education Study Loans Committee, allowing more students to be considered.
“Those who have been interviewed and were on 30 points will proceed, and we will now interview those on 29 points so that we can accommodate the increased numbers for first years,” he said.
The scholarship programme has been allocated E700 million for the 2026/27 financial year, covering tuition fees, meals, accommodation, personal allowances, books, uniforms, internships and other academic-related expenses.
During the first quarter, government spent E32.2 million from the allocation, with the remaining balance standing at E667.7 million.
Meanwhile, Mavuso also raised concerns over labour law enforcement, questioning the outcome of 788 workplace inspections conducted by the ministry during the quarter.
She asked how many employers were found to be violating labour laws, what penalties were imposed, and whether repeat offenders were being held accountable.
Her questions followed the ministry’s report that 212 workplace injuries and two fatalities were recorded during the same period.
Mavuso wanted to know what measures were being taken to strengthen workplace safety and prevent further loss of lives.
The Minister further reported that government had recovered more than E17.6 million in scholarship loan repayments during the first quarter through various collection mechanisms.
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