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. As a member of the United Nations, Swaziland is committed to the Millennium Development Goals. These are to achieve universal primary education by 2015 and to promote gender equality and empower women be eliminating gender disparity up to secondary level by the same year. 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 75%. 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. E100 million was set aside to educate the country’s orphans - estimated to be in excess of 120,000. These children are among the many people on whom HIV/AIDS is impacting, as their parents, mostly people in the economically active age group, are succumbing to the pandemic. E34.9 million was allocated to stationery and textbooks and a further E207 million will enable the University of Swaziland to meet its mandate to create education opportunities for demand-driven knowledge and skills.
Primary and Secondary Education
Primary education is widely available and almost all children enrol for school at this level. Available figures indicate that there are 544 primary schools in the country with 208,652 children and 6,680 teachers. 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. A Basic Education Steering Committee co-ordinates efforts to reach this objective by combining higher standards of teaching and administration. The Continuous Assessment system under the National Curriculum Centre does away with the “learning by heart” syndrome and places greater emphasis on individual abilities while making provision for weaker pupils. 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. Data indicates that there are 195 secondary and high schools in the country with 62,275 pupils and 4,796 teachers. Although education is subsidised by government, it is unlikely that the budget will ever be able to meet growing demand and the possibility of introducing free education is remote. It is more likely that, in line with global trends, the financial burden of education will increasingly rest on parents and communities. While this could have the spin-off of encouraging smaller families, it could also result in fewer children attending school.
Development Efforts
Government policy is to provide a curriculum that caters for children whose skills 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 sbyb 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 industry-based 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.