We need education indaba

ONE of the most heartbreaking stories of this week is the reported suicide attempts of about 40 pupils in the Matsapha corridor, whose schooling has been cut short by the lack of money to pay for their education, after their parents lost their jobs due to various reasons.

Following this revelation, several people have come forward to share painful accounts of how the dream of educating their children has been blown away due to various reasons, such as job losses and the inability to afford top-up fees, among others. It shouldn’t have to come to this. But it has, and it is getting a lot worse as thousands of free primary education ( FPE) beneficiaries are heading to secondary and high schools this year with no funds to cater for them because that is, essentially, the parents’ responsibility.

Government

The level of readiness on the part of parents and government alike, should serve as a basis for having the engagement we’ve been avoiding for years – an education indaba. Truth be told, government was never ready for the FPE programme, which was imposed by the courts after the civil society demanded it as per constitutional provisions.

What is certain, though, is that the taxpayer cannot afford to foot the bill to educate a child from primary school all the way to tertiary level. The system will collapse sooner rather than later, if not just about immediately. Without a proper screening process, many parents have flooded the Deputy Prime Minister’s

Office to apply for bursaries under the orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Fund, but it may not be possible to cater to them all. One shudders to think what would eventually become of these teenagers in an environment littered with high unemployment and crime. It is these children whom world leaders had in mind when they met in New York for the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, where they formally adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which contains 17 goals, one of which is Sustainable Development Goal 4, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Progress

It is fair to say that the country has recorded remarkable progress in the implementation of this goal, attaining a 95 per cent enrolment rate at primary school level. Questions remain on the quality due to financial constraints and teacher-pupil ratios.

However, secondary and high school levels remain a huge challenge, largely due to financing. The taxpayer may not be in a position to solve every emerging social challenge, but the least we can expect is a clear policy direction from government on how to deal with such cases when they arise, as opposed to the finger pointing among those responsible for solutions to this predicament. Leaving these children in a space of hopelessness places their lives at risk and ultimately, somebody has to take responsibility. But who will? Bringing to light the predicament of the Matsapha pupils, who almost took their own lives was Eswatini Family Care and Wellness Organisation Director Sibusiso Makhanya. He narrated a painful account of what these children have had to endure and is now appealing to individuals for assistance through the organisation.

“They (children) go through shame and may develop mild depression, while others have lost the power to achieve their dreams. They feel alone, rejected and worthless,” he said. The director stated that some children lost faith in their families, who had failed to send them to school, the country, and life itself. He mentioned that they doubted and hated themselves.

The Ministry of Education and Training had issued a directive to school head teachers, warning them against chasing pupils from class. It required the head teachers to deal directly with the parents. However, the head teachers have ignored this directive, saying it was impractical, and the ministry has either been reluctant or simply afraid to take action against them. The OVC grant is said to be paying out E1 950 per child in high school, which most head teachers say is insufficient. Parents have been made to fork out top-up fees, which have been a challenge for many, leading to their children being sent home. Instead, the ministry is now preparing to send summonses to parents who have failed to negotiate with the head teachers on school fees yet are deemed capable of paying. Yes, there are irresponsible parents who need to be dealt with.

Attributed

Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary Bhekithemba Gama attributed this to parents taking advantage of the directive that no head teacher should chase a child from school. For those who are needy, he has advised that they turn to the DPM’s Office and register their children under the OVC Fund. This is the fund that now has an unprecedented 100 000 applications! The DPM’s Office says it is overwhelmed and needs funds from the Finance Ministry of no less than E195 million for this exercise.

It is unacceptable that at this point in our mission to provide free education, there is still bickering around what it costs to educate a child, how far the taxpayer can go, and what should be done to ensure no child drops out of school through no fault of their own. This can cost lives, and the one thing the DPM’s Office, together with that of the Education Ministry, can do is convene an education indaba to address this issue once and for all. The sooner it can happen, the more young lives can be saved from the trauma and anguish of being made to feel like worthless citizens. There’s no guessing what that could mean for us all.