Swati Newsweek, 26 May, 2021
By Eugene Dube
MBABANE – It looks like Eswatini Government does not want to address any issues involving inhabitants of Eswatini hence police officers harrassed and further blocked teachers who wanted to deliver a petition in Mbabane at the Cabinet offices today.
Photos: teachers carrying placards at the march. In picture 2 Eswatini Police officers who blocked the teachers.
Information gathered is that the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) wanted to deliver a teachers’ petition at Mbabane but such a move was blocked by the police officers who fired shots in air and dispersed the teachers.
Teachers complained about shortage of teachers in public schools which had compromised the quality of Swazi education.
Reached for a comment, Sikelela Dlamini, SNAT Secretary General confirmed the matter.
Dlamini said,” We didn’t deliver it after police blocked us. We marched from Public Service to the junction to Cabinet Offices. They blocked the small road with caspirs and tried to disperse us with grenades
“Yes police officers fired shots but we also regrouped and addressed the masses,”Dlamini explained.
THE TEACHERS’ PETITION
As the SNAT collective, guided by our principles to defend professional and socio-economic interests of our members and to contribute significantly in shaping the future of this country through the delivery of Quality and accessible education to all citizens, therefore demand as follows; That;
All teachers whose contracts expired in December 2019 and 2020 must be re-engaged to teach the learners who are currently lying idle with no teachers.
The Government must upgrade all B2 posts to C3 posts so that those teachers who hold PTDs can be engaged on a permanent and pensionable basis.
The government must present to the SNAT an operational strategy by which the Government is going to roll out the introduction of Grade 0 in all the 933 public schools so that our colleagues who were trained in Early Childhood Care and Development in Education (ECCDE) can be permanently employed in these schools.
There has to be creation of more C3 and C5 posts in Secondary schools so that those teachers who possess Secondary Teacher’s Diplomas (STDs) and BA plus PGCE who are wrongly placed in Primary schools can be relevantly placed in their well deserved posts in Secondary Schools to further create space for the thousands of Primary Teachers Diploma (PTD) holders who are roaming the streets without jobs.
Government must end the casualization of teaching by withdrawing Legal Notice Number 147 of 2009 through which the Government legitimised the employment of teachers on a two (2) year fixed term contracts
A response to these demands be sent to the SNAT by close of business on Friday (04-06-2021).
The Swati Newsweek 