As schools in Eswatini are ready to re-open, the teachers question the students readiness to sit for exams
Admin GHRTV
At the beginning of the week, on August 2, 2021, the Prime Minister of Eswatini, Cleopas Dlamini, announced the government's plan to re-open primary and secondary educational institutions for the second time this year, as the country is slowly easing its COVID-19 restrictions.
Just like any other country, Eswatini was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The epidemiological situation forced the government of Eswatini to close schools across the country for one year, from March 2020 to March 2021, and switch to distance learning. The schools were first re-opened in March 2021, but after a short period had to close again in late June 2021 due to country-wide political unrest and rising COVID-19 cases.
According to the Prime Minister, the schools are scheduled to resume classes starting August 9, 2021. The government of Eswatini acknowledges the importance of education as not solely a place of learning but social interaction and psychological support for students. In addition, prolonged closure of schools deprives students of school meals and easy access to social services.
The headmasters and the teaching staff are concerned that in 2021 the students had only received around 60 days of in-person learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, as schools are scheduled to re-open, the headmasters are worried about the students' academic readiness for the external examination assessments, which under normal circumstances would take place at the end of August-beginning of September. The last time that students had proper uninterrupted education was more than one and a half years ago. Therefore, the examination may not properly reflect the students' knowledge levels considering the circumstances.
The Secretary-General of the Swaziland Association of Schools Administrators (SASA), Siphasha Dlamini, suggested postponing all external examinations to August 2022. Meanwhile, the President of the Eswatini Principals Association (EPA), Welcome Mhlanga, stated that the issue of external examinations would be discussed with the Ministry of Education and Training of Eswatini before the end of the week, and more clarity would be given to schools afterward.
For more information, please consult the following:
https://www.unicef.org/
