SNAT needs new mandate on 6 demands

MANZINI – The Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) will convene branch meetings to get mandate from their members on what to do next.

This follows that they had tendered demands which were elaborative on the challenges faced by head teachers and or schools , eventually affecting the work of teachers.

Leading to the start of the school calendar this year, SNAT tabled six demands which, at the time, had to be met by government.

These demands were delivered in the form of a petition, wherein employed and unemployed educators were invited to be part of its delivery at the Ministry of Public Service.

It was said among these issues which needed to be tackled was the shortage of food for the schools’ feeding schemes, shortage of teachers in schools and the casualisation of their profession.

Secretary General (SG) of SNAT Lot Vilakati said the next step by their organisation was to have meetings with branches to get their input before the National Executive Committee (NEC) of SNAT to pronounce a way forward.

He said they would be communicating with secretaries in the branches in order for them to convene the meetings as it was teachers

in schools who were affected by the challenges.

Last week, Vilakati informed this publication that about 720 schools were experiencing challenges, which included lack of funds due to unpaid grants, no food for the feeding schemes and lack of teachers, according to a survey.

He said the survey was engaged through the Swaziland Association of School Administrators (SASA) and aimed at establishing the situation in schools. SASA is an organisation of head teachers and deputy head teachers under SNAT.

Resources THE DEMANDS:

SNAT is totally against teacher casualisation.

Renew all existing contracts before schools open.

TSC should employ 5 000 permanent teachers to ease work load. Relocate all PGCE teachers in primary schools before schools open. Remunerate all degreed primary school teachers accordingly

All schools should have Grade Zero classes with qualified teachers.

In their survey, Vilakati said a variety of schools reported to be either without food, financial resources and/or books. The SG acknowledged though that some deliveries by government were still being made for stationery, textbooks and food.

He said the challenge was that this week; some schools had half-days as they had to release learners early due to the unavailability of food. Vilakati also highlighted that the schools that had responded to their

survey had also expressed a concern that teachers had not yet arrived in their schools despite that they were needed.

He said the situation in schools was unfavourable because government did not release funds.

“There is no food, electricity and no books in primary schools. We cannot even work,” Vilakati said.

He explained that there were about 150 schools in Lubombo, while there were close to 180 schools in Manzini without food, stationary and teachers.

The SG said in the Hhohho Region, about 200 schools faced one of the many challenges they were seeking to establish if they were dealt with while in the Shiselweni Region they were about 201.

These schools tally to 720 out of 878 schools in the country, excluding those run by private entities. In the Hhohho Region, there are 161 primary and 72 high schools which tallies to 233.

In the Lubombo Region, they are 198 and they comprise of 132 primary and 66 high schools, while in the Manzini Region, they are 205 as 168 are primary while 74 are high schools.

The Shiselweni Region has 205, which consist of 140 primary and 65 high schools. This computes to 601 primary and 277 high schools countrywide.

The learning institutions facing challenges, he said, were inclusive of primary and high schools. Vilakati disclosed that they are currently undertaking a close campaign to ascertain the challenges that were taking place in each school.

Food

In light of this, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training, Bhekithemba Gama, said the ministry was still delivering food to schools.

He said the programme was still ongoing and would be completed shortly. The PS pleaded with stakeholders to share information with them where there were challenges so that they could be addressed.

On the issue of teachers, he said: “The contracts are being renewed and do acknowledge that we are scrutinising the subjects that we want to retain in schools.”

Gama said some teachers had to submit their posting letters as their contracts had already been renewed. The PS further pleaded that such information should be shared with the ministry as it would assist in them hastening to follow up where there were challenges.