BY MBONO MDLULI
LOBAMBA – The four-year high school programme (A and AS levels) currently going on in selected high schools in the country will enable learners to be admitted to any university in the world.
A Level stands for Advanced Level, while the AS Levels stands for Advanced Subsidiary Levels. Speaking about the programme, Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo today (Wednesday, August 14, 2024) told Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Assembly that the programme was good for learners in the country.
He said this when he was asked to give progress on the roll out of the programme. Nxumalo told His fellow MPs that head teachers were happy with the programme.
Nxumalo was responding to a question for oral answers, which was posed by Maseyisini MP Nokuthula Dlamini. Dlamini wanted progress on the programme and also wanted to know if the programme would be ready for a full roll-out in 2026.
The minister said he met with the school head teachers at Mjingo High School in Manzini and the principals promised him that they would be ready to roll out the programme in 2026. The A and AS Levels was introduced after it was noted that it became difficult for learners from Eswatini to be admitted to any university outside the country.
However, Nxumalo acknowledged that there were challenges that were encountered by the school principals under this programme. He said the head teachers told him that there was lack of stationery to aid the learning process of the pupils.
Nxumalo also told the MPs that the there was lack of teachers in the schools. However, Nxumalo said they were working on addressing the challenges raised by the head teachers. He also thanked the Ministry of Public Service for ensuring that they provided the teachers needed for the programme. Nxumalo thanked Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko for making this happen.
