A major development in the Education
sector during 2009 was the
introduction of free education for
primary school children at certain levels.
This has taken the burden off parents in
the more disadvantaged levels of society and
ensures that all children will have access to
at least a basic education. It also
underscores Swaziland’s commitment, as
a member of the United Nations, to the
Millennium Development Goals, which are
to achieve universal primary education, to
promote gender equality and to empower
women by eliminating gender disparity up
to secondary level by 2015.
Education is regarded as the cornerstone of
economic and social development in
Swaziland and the objective of the
government is to provide education that is
affordable, accessible and relevant.
Schools fall under the three categories of
government, grant aided and private. The
main levels of education are primary - first
level; secondary - second level; and tertiary
- third level. The latter embraces university,
technical and vocational, and teacher
training. Other categories are special needs,
adult and non-formal, distance learning,
early-childhood education and manpower
development.
Literacy in Swaziland is about
82% according to recently released statistics.
There is an ongoing strategy in place to move
the system from being purely academic to
placing greater emphasis on technical and
vocational aspects.
Investment in education is a key component
in the national budget. E130 million was
set aside in the 2009/10 budget to educate
the country’s orphans – now estimated at
about 150,000. These children are among
the many people on whom HIV/AIDS is
impacting, as their parents, mostly in the
economically active age group, are
succumbing to the pandemic. E18 million
was allocated to a schools feeding program.
Primary and Secondary Education
Primary education is widely available and
almost all children enrol for school at this
level. There is greater demand for places in
urban schools. A major objective is to
reduce the number of pupils who, for
various reasons, “drop out” at this stage
and to ensure that the majority of children
complete this essential level, which generally
covers the six to 13 age group.
The majority of children who qualify to go
onto secondary school can be
accommodated in the system and it is
estimated that just over half the children in
this age group attend school.
The secondary level is of five years duration
and is regarded as a doorway to tertiary
education. However, means are being
sought to equip pupils completing their
GCSE certification to enter the work force
or take up self-employment. To this end,
apart from the traditional subjects, emphasis
is also placed on agriculture, home
economics, and technical and business
studies.
Government is committed to
upgrading the agricultural facilities as this
sector is a vital component of the economy.
However, updated figures have yet to be
published pertaining to the number of
schools, teachers and pupils in the country
have yet to be published.
Development
Efforts
It has been announced that an
Accreditation Authority is to be established
to ensure that private schools meet
necessary standards before they are licensed
to operate and emphasis is being shifted to
technical and scientific skills.
Government policy is to provide a curriculum
that caters for children whose talents lie in
the more practical areas, such as technical
and agricultural subjects, as well as for pupils
with academic leanings.
Fundza, an NGO, assists in an educational
development role by installing libraries in
schools and providing relevant teacher
training while various donor agencies provide
finance for broadening the syllabus.
Despite financial constraints, money has
been allocated to the Ministry of Education
for needs assessment and employing
sufficient teachers for the growing number
of children attending school, as well as for
constructing new schools and extending or
upgrading existing ones.
The Structure
All Swaziland’s schools, irrespective of the
category they fall under, operate within the
system controlled by the Ministry of
Education. However, terms and conditions
vary: sometimes parents are expected to
contribute to maintenance or building funds;
books and materials may or may not be
included and optional extra-curricular
activities may be available.
Thus it is difficult
to provide an accurate fee structure.
However, affordable education is generally
available and some schools structure their
fees on a means basis to assist less affluent
families. Scholarships and bursaries are also
available for qualifying pupils. The Ministry
of Education will provide information on
individual schools in specific areas.
One of Swaziland’s best-known schools is
Waterford Kamhlaba, a selective-entry,
international private secondary school,
which is part of the United World Colleges
group. Financial assistance is available for
capable children from needy families.
Pre-school education, which is widely
available, is seen as an important step in a
child’s learning process.
Special Needs
Teaching
Limited special needs education is available
in the country, specifically for the deaf, blind
and physically handicapped children.
However, education for different special
needs is available in South Africa.
Tertiary Education
Several institutes provide different levels of
technical, commercial and vocational
training. These include the Swaziland
College of Technology (SCOT) in Mbabane
and Gwamile VOCTIM at Matsapha. There
are three teacher training colleges: William
Pitcher College in Manzini and the Ngwane
and Nazerene Teacher Training Colleges.
The Faculty of Health Sciences of the
University of Swaziland trains nurses to
diploma and degree level. Training in
technical and commercial skills is also
available at the Manzini Industrial Training
Centre (MITC) and the Nhlangano
Agricultural Skills Training Centre (NASTC).
The University of Swaziland comprises
three campuses: one at Luyengo near
Malkerns, which houses the agricultural and
home economics faculties and a second at
Kwaluseni near Matsapha, where the
academic and professional courses are run.
These lead to degrees in subjects embracing
the Arts, Sciences, Commerce, Education
and Law. Accounting, Business
Management and Marketing courses are
also available. It is intended to fill gaps at
university level by including degree courses
for architects, engineers and medical
practitioners who must presently qualify
outside the country. However, such
expansion is highly dependent on available
funding. Diploma and certificate courses in
various subjects are also available. The
University also offers Masters degrees in
History, Environmental Resource
Management, Chemistry and Education.
The Mbabane Campus houses the Faculty
of Health Sciences where students study for
diplomas and degrees in nursing.
For students unable to attend courses full
time, the UNISWA offers various programs
through the Institute of Distance Education
at Kwaluseni.
In common with universities world wide, The
University of Swaziland hosts various
research projects and the recently formed
UNISWA Foundation raises funds to address
the changing needs of the institution.
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
It is widely accepted that vocational
training is often the most important
aspect of preparing young people for the
world of work and a concept known as
Training on Production, or ToP, has been
developed to better meet industry’s
manpower needs. This initiative switches
emphasis from institutional to industrybased
training.
Swaziland College of Technology
SCOT is regarded as the main institute for
higher level technical and vocational
learning and offers a range of craft and
technical courses. These are engineering and
science, building and civil engineering,
education and business administration.
Gwamile VOCTIM
The Vocational and Commercial Training
Institute at Matsapha was established in
1987 and given the name Gwamile VOCTIM
by His Majesty King Mswati III the following
year (Gwamile was the name of a Queen
Mother many years ago).
The objective of the institute is to provide
Swaziland’s public and private sectors with
skilled craftsmen and clerical staff and to
upgrade existing employees through inservice
training. A further objective is to
provide secondary school leavers and young
unemployed people with craft level training,
emphasising the development of practical
skills, with a view to self-employment.
ADULT AND NON-FORMAL
EDUCATION
There is no real distinction between
these two categories although the
former generally tends towards
acquiring literacy skills through the Sebenta
National Institute and community
development through rural education
centres. Other institutes geared to such
learning are various skills-centres, the
Division of Extra Mural Studies and
organisations running various courses and
evening classes, such as the Alliance
Francais, where French is taught.
LIBRARY SERVICES
The government-subsidised National
Library Service comprises two
libraries at Mbabane and Manzini
with branches throughout the country.
Subjects cover leisure and educational
reading for adults and children and there
are lending and reference sections.
Exhibition and lecture facilities are available
at Mbabane, which also houses the
National Headquarters.