Common Country Assessment - Swaziland, 1997

Contents | Introduction | Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Livelihoods | Advancement/Empowerment of Women | Child Rights/Child Development/Child Protection | Education | Population | Environment | Health | STD/HIV/AIDS | Food Security/Nutrition | Governance and Participation | Institution Building | Summary and Conclusion

Chapter Five - Education

Between 1968 and 1993, against a background of an increase in population from 395,000 to about 810,000, the number of students in primary and secondary schools increased three-fold, the number of teachers quadrupled, and the number of classrooms doubled. The overall pupil/teacher ratio dropped from 40:1 to 33:1, and while one-third of primary school teachers were unqualified in the early 1970s, only 2 percent were unqualified by the 1990s. Universal primary education was achieved by 1985, and has been maintained to the present day.¹

One result of these achievements has been an increase in the literacy rate of about ten percent per annum, from 44 percent in 1966 to current estimates of 80 percent. However, while these achievements are laudable in quantitative terms, difficulties become more apparent upon further analysis. For example, only 79 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 12 years were in primary school in 1992. About one in ten of those were displaced by older children. Only 25 percent of children in primary school were in the appropriate grade for their grade.²

Source: GOS, 1992. ²

On average, it takes 11 years for a child to make it through a 7-year primary education cycle. The average age of boys in forms one to six are 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 18, and the average age of girls is one year less throughout. This places unnecessary economic burdens of 57 percent not only upon the system in general, but also upon the parents - the majority of whom are quite poor, and are now questioning the returns they are receiving from their investments in the education of their children.³

Another indication of the low efficiency ratios characterising the system today² is the high dropout rate.

Source: CSO, 1997, p.37

Of the approximately 770,000 persons above six years of age, about 64 percent (urban:46%; rural: 69%) have no secondary education, and 14 percent (urban 8%; rural 16%) have no education at all. About 19 percent of the Swazi population 20 years and above have some tertiary education.⁴

The education system has been criticised as providing "low quality, irrelevant content education, [which] leaves in its wake generations of Swazis who are less able to think independently, to solve problems, to participate meaningfully in a fast changing economy, or to interact effectively within civil society."³ That is to say that there are far fewer individuals of that calibre produced than could be anticipated with the same expenditure upon a more efficient, effective system.

Resource allocations have also been criticised as unbalanced. The primary system received 38 percent of the total education budget, the secondary system 27 percent, and the tertiary system 35 percent. These percentages can be compared to the client populations: there were 192,599 students in primary schools in 1994, 52,571 in secondary schools, and 1,910 in Swaziland’s university. The tertiary level students, a quarter of one percent of the total student body, received over one-third of the budget. Incongruously, while primary and secondary students have to pay for their education, university education is effectively free. Further, while there is an oversupply of teachers at both primary level (38 per qualified teacher in 1996, but very unevenly spread) and secondary level (19 per qualified teacher in 1996, also unevenly spread), there is a grave under supply of teachers in the areas of maths and science, who can usually find more attractive employment opportunities elsewhere.³ The efficiency problems referred to above extend to personnel management.

The heavy parental commitment to the education of their children often involves construction of school buildings as well as supply of classroom materials. The following figures should be read in the context of two-thirds of Swaziland’s population falling below the total poverty datum line of E71.07 per person per month.⁵

Source: CSO, SHIES, 1995, p.3

In summary, while education consumes almost a quarter of the government's budget, only the bare essentials are currently being met. The task is massive: over half the population is under 20 years of age. Swaziland has a proud record in education in responding to such challenges, but major revisions are considered necessary to meet the challenges of the future. However, efforts to improve the quality management of education, such as continuous assessment, are being opposed despite clear evidence of their effectiveness. Education, this basic requirement for the furtherance of human development, has challenges ahead at least as great as those already overcome.

1. Dawson, C. 1997. The Swaziland Experience in Basic Education and Quality. BOLESWA Symposium, UNISWA. Kwaluseni.
2. GOS. 1992. National Plan of Action for the Children of Swaziland 1993-2000. Mbabane.
3. GOS. 1996. Our Children First. Education and Training Development Strategy. Education and Training Sector Committee, National Development Strategy, Mbabane.
4. CSO. 1996. Swaziland Household Income and Expenditure Survey 1995 pp. 20-21.
5. CSO. 1996. Poverty Profile of Swaziland. Mbabane.

Education Indicators

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