A week later, most Grade 8 (Form 1) pupils have not started learning as there are claims that there is no syllabus yet.
The Grade 8 learners are the ones being introduced to the new curriculum this year as the Ministry of Education and Training rolls it out in high schools.
These are the same learners who wrote the first Eswatini Primary School Assessment (EPSA) examinations last year under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) programme at primary level.
There are now claims that since schools opened, this grade has not had a single lesson.
“Pupils are playing in schools, yet parents have paid. There is no syllabus,” a source claimed, adding that teachers also have not yet attended to any Grade 8 class.
Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Lot Vilakati decried the implementation of CBE, saying it seemed like it was a mess.
He alleged that teachers of this grade were doing nothing at schools, as they were still not trained.
“The Ministry of Education and Training has introduced new subjects and content altogether, yet the syllabi was only recently distributed through online platforms and teachers had not yet familiarised themselves with same. Teachers still need time to familiarise themselves with the syllabi and be guided on how to teach it,” he said.
Vilakati said it was concerning that even inspectors did not have answers to teachers’ questions while the latter were still expected to teach learners.
He said no one was willing to take responsibility for the challenges surrounding CBE implementation.
He said teachers wanted physical workshops, but instead were advised to listen to radio programmes. The CBE programme was aired on EBIS 1 at 7:15pm on Tuesdays.
He questioned who was expected to listen to the radio, as teachers wanted practical workshops and not radio programmes.
“There are workshops that have been called behind our backs, and teachers are complaining that they are not being provided with transport or accommodation, even though they live far away,” he alleged.
Vilakati added that even if government did not have sufficient funds, teachers should be treated the same way as headteachers, who were accommodated during their training sessions.
He further stated that some of the teachers being engaged as trainers were expected to train others on content they themselves did not fully understand.
Vilakati said the situation on the ground was what SNAT had anticipated regarding the training of teachers and the implementation of CBE.
He said teacher training was likely to be window-dressed, with the public being told that teachers had been trained.
Vilakati added that government was aware that the CBE would be introduced at secondary level in 2026 and should have trained teachers long ago, even during college training.
He said teachers needed at least six months of retraining on the new syllabus, not just short workshops, especially if government was serious about improving the quality of education.
