The Education in the Kingdom Of Eswatini has been in shambles following the cycle of protests from tertiary institutions of higher learning .
The state of education has been in question in the country for quite some time because of the education system that is presenting the narrative of uncertainty due to the disruptions of education. Over the past weeks, the University of Eswatini closed with immediate effect following the protest partaken by the members of the Association of Lecturers , Academic and Administrative Personnel (ALAAP) as well as the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) due to award performance (notching). The strike was prompted by lecturers who were and still demanding salary increment. The ongoing strike at UNESWA has greatly affected education in the sense the campus announced the closure of the school plainly saying that education is put on hold . It is alleged that employees are adamant that the campus will remain closed until their demands are taken into consideration.
During an interview, the President of SNUS , Gabi Ndukuya says Education is undervalued by the government of Eswatini. ‘’our education does not have that value in terms of quality because the government is failing to maintain the institutions themselves’’ she stated pressing on the issue that education should be one of the pillars that should be valued and prioritized in any country including Eswatini. According to Ndukuya she has just learnt that the education budget is combined with all the funds that caters the institutions, workers and learners and that is where the bigger problem starts.
The President of the Ngwane National Liberation Congress, Sibongile Mazibuko expressed her views about the current state of education in the country, she stressed out that the Kingdom of Eswatini is not a poor country but except the main thing affecting the education in the country is the lack of political will by the present government. “ The resolution to the matters of the country at hand is to have a sit-down meeting and discuss strategies on how the country can best be run” she said . The President of the NNLC further highlighted that a government that is in competition for the attention of the citizens is more likely to best deliver their services to the country and that has to be a democratic government.
“we are concerned about the education that is negatively affected “ said Bheki Gama who is the Principal Secretory of the Ministry of Education. A couple of weeks ago the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology experienced a drastic strike where lecturers of the institution were protesting following the suspension of the lecturers who are said to have been unjustly punished. The strike that was started by the lecturers inspired the students of the institution to follow suit .The students had a list of demands they claimed the institution was overlooking . The situation escalated to a level where scholars of the institution demanded a resignation letter from the director of the school. This speaks volume that the education in the country is a mockery itself. During an interview with one of the students that was active in the strike , they were resolute to their decision that there shall be no operations within the institution until they are heard. This is the same line used by the employees at UNESWA , which is quite alarming that education is being used as bait to get their demands attended to.
Sakhile Aw’viwa Nxumalo who is the president for the Swaziland Youth Congress ( SWAY-OCO) expressed his concerns during a protest prompted by lecturers at University of Eswatini that it is high time the university reopens since this strike is costing the future of the learners. He said this in the view that education in the country is not taken seriously because of how the current situation looks like with classes on hold . Nxumalo was concerned about the education in the country and the steps towards bettering the issue in question which is presenting itself with so many uncertainties.
The prioritization of the education system is gradually becoming a thing of the past in the Kingdom of Eswatini because of the series of events that have been happening in institutions of higher learning which has placed education in question. As mentioned by the SNUS President , the government of Eswatini has proven how much of a last priority education is . The duration of the strikes in various universities have placed the interest of the management or rather those in place for the resolution of the demands made on the microscope. The education system in the Kingdom of Eswatini has been failed in so many occasions and the current state is just evidence itself.
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