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NTFONJENI – Grade III class is a crucial phase of primary school, yet Enhlanhleni Primary School pupils who had no class teacher did not learn much last year.

The school is situated under Ntfonjeni Inkhundla around a place known as Lomshiyo. It caters for the surrounding community but some parents are furious that pupils, particularly those who did Grade III last year, did not learn as they did not have a class teacher.

A class teacher is assigned to a specific group of pupils. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the pupils are in attendance and also teaches them.

In Eswatini, pupils spend seven years in primary, with each of the classes being vital, to prepare them for the final examination held in the seventh grade. In other countries, this is also referred to as elementary school. Parents of pupils at Enhlanhleni Primary School said they were concerned that their children struggled to read because they had not been learning in 2022. They said this was because there was no teacher for the school.

Late

*Amos, a parent who asked to speak anonymously, said his child was not able to do his homework because he could not read properly yet he spent the whole year doing Grade III. He said the child was now in Grade IV and that they now had a teacher but it was very late. He wondered if the school would make plans for their children to catch up.

Amos said the parents had conveyed their concerns during a recent meeting, but they were advised that the school did not have enough teachers. He said the parents were not content with the explanation.

*Jomo, who is also a parent to one of the pupils, said he was shocked when he went