BY THEMBA ZWANE
EZULWINI – Government has described the FNB Eswatini Foundation’s E1 million sponsorship towards the rehabilitation of a six-classroom block at St Paul’s Primary School in Manzini as a life-changing intervention that will restore hope and dignity to hundreds of learners and teachers.
Speaking during the FNB Eswatini and FNB Eswatini Foundation Sponsorship Handover Ceremony held at the bank’s headquarters in Ezulwini on Thursday, on behalf of Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education and Training Nanikie Mnisi, Principal Assistant Secretary, Lillian Xolile Zwane, said the donation had come at a critical time when learners and teachers at the school had been operating without proper classroom facilities.
Mnisi said the project would enable learners to return to a safe and conducive learning environment, describing the sponsorship as far more than a construction initiative.
“We deeply appreciate the E1 million contribution from the FNB Eswatini Foundation towards rehabilitating a six-classroom block at St Paul’s Primary School in Manzini. This intervention comes at a critical time when learners and teachers have been without proper classrooms. With this support, our children will return to a safe and conducive learning environment. This is not just infrastructure rehabilitation – it is hope restored,” she said.
The Principal Secretary thanked FNB Eswatini and its foundation for demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing education in the country, saying the investment would have a lasting impact on the lives of learners.
She noted that the sponsorship reflected the importance of partnerships between government and the private sector in addressing challenges facing schools and communities.
In addition to the St Paul’s Primary School project, FNB Eswatini also handed over E180,000 towards the MTN Foundation’s Adopt-a-School Campaign, which will fund the development of a water supply system at Gija High School in the Hhohho Region.
Mnisi said access to clean water was fundamental to health, dignity and effective learning, adding that the project would improve the well-being of both learners and teachers while contributing to better educational outcomes.
The bank, in partnership with Buy ‘n Save SPAR, further donated school shoes valued at E52,950 to 356 underprivileged learners from 12 schools across the country.
Mnisi said the donation would help vulnerable children attend school with confidence and dignity, complementing government’s efforts under the Free Primary Education Programme.
She described the combined sponsorships as a demonstration of shared responsibility and proof that meaningful change could be achieved when government, the private sector and civil society worked together.
“Today’s handover is more than financial figures. It is a demonstration of shared responsibility. It shows that when government, private sector and civil society work together, we can achieve lasting impact in the lives of our children,” she said.
The Ministry of Education and Training assured stakeholders that it would exercise strict oversight to ensure that all resources provided were utilised transparently and for the benefit of the intended recipients.
Mnisi concluded by thanking the sponsors on behalf of His Majesty’s Government and called for continued investment in education, describing children as the future of the Kingdom of Eswatini.
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