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By Kwanele Dhladhla
Members of Parliament have alleged that some support staff in government schools work for six months without pay due to bankruptcy, which is caused mainly by the non-payment of school fees.
Due to the predicament affecting most schools, especially in rural areas, there has been a call for an increase in the amount of money paid by the government to Orphaned and Vulnerable Children at Secondary and High Schools.
In a motion to be tabled by Kubuta MP Masiphula Mamba in the House of Assembly on Monday, according to the order paper issued by Speaker Jabulani Mabuza, the Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo, will be called upon to table a report in the august House within 14 days on what was failing him from increasing the OVC school fees from E1950.00.
Mamba, seconded by Lubombo MP Futhi Ngcamphalala, has also called for an increase in the Free Primary Education (FPE) fees, which have remained at E550 for more than 10 years.
“Is the Minister aware of the situation that this has put Principals and their administration over the years. The Minister should also explain his plans for the support staff who sometimes go six months without pay because of the school’s bankruptcy, as in the past, due to the non-payment of school fees,” reads the motion in part.
The MP also intends to inquire from Nxumalo what the plan would be for smaller schools that have to pay standing charges like electricity bills and salaries for support staff, among other operating costs yet the schools’ population remains small.
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Over 250 public schools rely on OVC grants, which benefit 53,300 pupils, to fund their daily operations.
The late payment of FPE and OVC grants by the Ministry of Education and Training has been a significant challenge for head teachers across the country.
The head teachers continued to raise concerns about the impact of late payments on school operations.
A head teacher from the northern Hhohho Region recently reported a pupil fainting due to hunger during the morning assembly.
She highlighted the prevalence of child-headed households in the country and the critical role of school meals to many pupils.
It has also been previously disclosed by the Eswatini Association of Schools Administrators (SASA) that over 5,000 pupils were still in arrears with last year’s school fees, placing a significant strain on schools’ operations.
Gciningcebo Thusi, the SASA Secretary General, said many outstanding fees were owed by pupils in rural schools.
“We appeal to the government to address the numerous issues affecting school operations, as they place a burden on head teachers. It is disheartening that some of these issues have been raised before but remain unresolved,” Thusi said.
Bheki Gama, Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education and Training, urged head teachers to liaise with their respective Regional Education Offices (REOs) on this matter. He stated that the ministry can only act on reported information.
Acknowledging the issue of outstanding fees, Gama advised head teachers to engage with parents to develop manageable payment plans. He emphasised that pupils should not be expelled but allowed to continue their education while fee settlement is addressed through appropriate channels.
“We must prioritise the future of children and address the problem without disrupting their learning,” Gama said.
He added, “I urge head teachers to involve their respective REOs to find a way forward.”
Regarding the FPE programme, furniture and food provision, the PS confirmed that the government is expediting the finalisation of a list of schools lacking furniture.
He assured SASA that food would be delivered and FPE grants paid.
Provision of bursary for OVC in the country began in 2003 after the government noted that poverty, hunger, and severe drought, particularly in the lowveld that indicated a very high dropout of children from schools, leaving very few pupils in school enrolments.
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Free textbooks and workbooks for all Primary school children have been implemented since 2003 as well.
These included braille textbooks for the visually impaired after it was noted that providing OVC bursaries without learning materials did not have a positive impact.
“Pupils could not afford to buy exercise books and stationery; hence, they would drop out of school,” the Ministry of Education and Training reported.
Free exercise books and stationery, including braille for visually impaired materials for all children in public primary school, have been provided since 2006.
The European Union (EU) assisted the government by introducing the Capitation Grant Scheme for Primary schools.
The objective was to increase access and retention of OVC in schools and to improve the quality of education.
Free Primary Education has been viewed as a consolidated programme aimed at creating a conducive environment characterised by minimum barriers to access quality Primary education.
The objective of FPE was to address the following barriers: distance from school (physical), school fees [financial], socio-cultural, eradicating illiteracy, alleviating poverty, eliminating all forms of disparities and inequalities, and providing basic skills and knowledge.
