MBABANE – Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary Naniki Mnisi has attributed the surge in pupil failures to a combination of teacher deployment challenges and inadequate subject-specific skills under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
She also pointed to socio-economic hardships affecting pupils, particularly those from rural areas.
Mnisi said one of the major contributing factors was that under CBE, teachers were expected to teach multiple subjects, including practical and creative disciplines for which many were not adequately trained. She cited subjects such as music, dance and swimming, explaining that some teachers lacked the specialised skills required to deliver them effectively, thereby affecting pupils’ performance.
Another key issue, according to the PS, was the misplacement of teachers between primary and high schools. She explained that a significant number of high school-trained teachers were deployed in primary schools, despite being trained to handle older, more mature learners rather than young children who require foundational learning and developmental support.
“High school teachers are trained to deal with almost mature learners, while primary teachers are trained to build the young mind. When that mix-up happens, it affects how children grasp concepts at an early age,” Mnisi said.
Beyond classroom dynamics, Mnisi highlighted poverty-related challenges as a major contributor to poor learner performance. She said many pupils walked long distances to school, often from rural communities, arriving tired, hungry and unable to concentrate.
Some children, she added, go to school without having had breakfast, while others struggle emotionally due to difficult home circumstances.
She explained that such conditions affect learners’ ability to absorb lessons, noting that hunger and fatigue undermine concentration and participation in class. According to Mnisi, some pupils end up sleeping in class, while others remain distracted by challenges at home, making meaningful learning difficult.
“They cannot be receptive when they are hungry and tired,” she said.
Mnisi said the ministry was fully aware of these challenges and had already begun implementing corrective measures. She indicated that efforts were underway to ensure educators were deployed in line with their training, particularly addressing the placement of high school teachers in primary schools.
She further stated that the ministry was strengthening training programmes for primary school teachers to ensure they were fully equipped to deliver the CBE curriculum. This includes targeted capacity-building initiatives aimed at improving teaching methods, assessment approaches and subject competence under the new education framework.
In addition, Mnisi said government was in the process of recruiting new teachers as part of a broader strategy to address staffing gaps and reduce pressure on existing educators. She explained that newly hired teachers would also gain practical experience in the field, contributing to stabilising the system as reforms take effect.
Mnisi said the ministry was reviewing all challenges raised by stakeholders and remained committed to resolving them, stressing that education reforms of this scale inevitably come with transitional difficulties.
She maintained that government was “fighting tooth and nail” to ensure that the issues identified did not derail the objectives of CBE, which are aimed at improving skills development and learner competence.
Recently, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), through its Secretary General Lot Vilakati, expressed strong opposition to the manner in which CBE and the new four-year secondary school programme were being rolled out.
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The union argued that the reforms were rushed without adequate preparation, training or consultation, warning that teachers were expected to implement a fundamentally new curriculum without syllabi or sufficient resources. SNAT also raised concerns about staffing shortages, large class sizes and the absence of publicly available reports evaluating earlier CBE pilot programmes.
Parents’ organisations have echoed similar concerns. The Eswatini Schools Committee and Parents Association (ESCAPA) previously criticised government for failing to consult parents and for not releasing reports on CBE performance and pilot programmes.
The association warned that parents were being left in the dark about the type of education their children were receiving and cautioned that the lack of transparency could undermine trust and accountability in education reform.
Despite the criticism, Mnisi said the ministry remained committed to engaging stakeholders and refining the rollout process. She emphasised that CBE was a long-term reform requiring continuous adjustment, collaboration and patience, while assuring the public that government was working to ensure learners ultimately benefit from the changes.
