swaziland times

MBABANE — It’s free, but it’s not free for other people.

Although the government introduced Free Primary Education (FPE) in 2010, some students still have to pay full tuition fees for primary education. It turns out that there are still thousands of children who do not have the necessary eligibility documents to participate in the government’s FPE program. Previously, the principal refused to enroll students without birth certificates. Other students were unable to register for external exams because they did not produce the required national documents.

Failed

It was discovered that thousands of students without birth certificates were enrolled in primary schools without a birth certificate, but were unable to benefit from the preferential policy of free primary school students from paying tuition fees as stipulated in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Swaziland. Swaziland News can reveal that every time a new school term begins, many parents are faced with the harsh reality of having to pay for their children’s education, even though education is supposed to be free. The survey found that many such parents have children attending rural schools, but the dilemma is not limited to them and may also exist in other parts of the country.

document

Some principals revealed that many children were not allowed to study in school without any documents until Grade 6. They faced difficulties in entering Grade 7, where a national document was required for registration. “A birth certificate is required to register with the Swaziland Examination Board,” the principals revealed. Dumisani Mbuli, the Indvuna Yenkhundla of LaMgabhi constituency, disclosed that some children in his constituency do not have birth certificates and are unable to benefit from the government’s FPE scheme.

Serious

He said the matter was so serious that inkhundla had to intervene on behalf of the parents so that their children would be allowed to enrol in the local primary school. The move is part of the government’s efforts to fulfil the constitutional right to provide free education to all children in primary schools.The program aims to remove economic barriers to education and ensure that all children in the country have access to basic education, regardless of their family’s financial status. The scheme aims to ensure that no child in the country will be deprived of education due to financial constraints.The government has taken on the responsibility of paying the school fees directly to the schools for the children enrolled, thereby reducing the burden on parents. According to www.ourworldindata.org, nearly 60 million children of primary school age are not in school worldwide.

progress

Despite the progress the world has made in recent generations, millions of children are still out of school. Furthermore, www.heartforafrica.org reports that worldwide, 264.3 million children, adolescents and young people are not in school. The organization further reports that one of the worst-affected countries is Swaziland.
In Swaziland, children cannot access the FPE program without a birth certificate. A birth certificate contains a unique 13-digit number called a Personal Identification Number (PIN). This is also the number used when applying for a national identity document (ID). Without a birth certificate, the child would not be registered in the system and therefore not be eligible for free education.

benefit

Thousands of children who could not benefit from the scheme are said to be facing the same situation. According to the government website www.gov.sz, there are currently 600 primary schools (including private schools) in the country with an enrollment of more than 239,793 students. The total enrollment for grades I to VII was 230,242 in 2009 and 242,037 in 2010. The government’s FPE includes textbooks and exercise books, stationery, furniture, curriculum and infrastructure, and exercise books. All of this is provided free of charge as part of FPE. However, without FPE, parents would have to pay for all expenses themselves, including food and textbooks.

most

The publication found that most children without birth certificates live in rural communities, many of whom live with their grandparents. One concern raised by some grandparents is the absence of birth, marriage and death (BMD) department offices in rural communities. BMDs is a department under the Ministry of Interior responsible for issuing birth certificates. *Sontfo, grandmother to *Nelly and *Sipho, said her grandchildren had only recently managed to get birth certificates, but they had not benefited from the FPE because they were not registered. The difficulty, she said, was that they were left behind by her son, and he had not had the time to register them.

Furthermore, she said the cost of travelling from Buhlene to Manzini was high. In addition, she said she was able to benefit from it because of the recent clean-up exercise carried out by the Ministry of Interior. The difficulty faced by children in obtaining birth certificates is not unique to Ramgabi, this publication believes it is a national problem. Constituencies worst affected include Mhlangatane, Ntfonjeni, Zombodze and many far-flung districts. Parents in these communities are now forced to pay for an education that should be free, further straining their already limited resources.

Gradually

It is worth noting that previously, children did not need a birth certificate to qualify for the FPE program, but this was gradually changed until it was no longer allowed. One of the main reasons cited by parents for not being able to obtain birth certificates is the lack of Home Affairs services in their communities. This publication learned from some parents that one of the main reasons is that they travel long distances to obtain birth certificates. Parents also said the situation was particularly bad for families with multiple children. “Imagine having to pay for the schooling of three or four children when schooling is supposed to be free. It is a huge financial burden and many parents are struggling to cope,” they said.

struggle

Meanwhile, the publication recently published a story about children from around Mrumein Khundra who are unable to attend school due to difficulties in obtaining birth certificates. The children are from an area popularly known as Mgidzangcunu. It was not until Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla intervened through her office that children in the area and surrounding communities were able to attend school. This has enabled some children who have never been to school to have the opportunity to attend school and receive FPE.