BY PHESHEYA IAN KUNENE
MBABANE – The Ministry for Education and Training has announced that it would appoint an interim committee to ensure continuity at Sifundzani schools following the resignation of the previous Board of Directors.
While speaking during a press conference held at the Ministry offices today, the Acting Principal Secretary Nanikie Mnisi explained that this process of change is being carried out in compliance with the rules of the public administration as Sifundzani schools were government-aided schools that are operating as private schools. The soon-to-be appointed interim committee will be responsible for the operations of both Sifundzani High and Sifundzani Primary schools.
While addressing the resignation of the Board of Directors, Mnisi asked parents and teachers not to panic as the resignation would not affect the smooth running of the schools.
“We want to assure the media and public that we acknowledge and accept the resignation of the Board of Directors as their resignation has no terms, they stated to the office of the Principal Secretary that they are resigning from their position of the Board.
At the moment, there is no Board, which is why we need to assign individuals as soon as possible to deal with issues such as admissions and the likes. We would also like to assure the teachers that nothing has changed, things will continue to operate the same way they have been operating over the past years,” Mnisi said.
Mnisi said the government was fully committed to sorting out the issues that have since engulfed the schools while assuring the teachers that the government would continue supporting them.
She added that the interim committee would be in charge of the schools until official elections were conducted as proper and lawful procedures needed to be followed. She insisted that Sifundzani Primary and High Schools were government aided and therefore the responsibility of appointing an interim board falls under the Ministry of Education and Training to ensure that the day-to-day management of the schools, particularly the primary school, was not disturbed in any way.
She encouraged parents to continue to send their children to the schools, and teachers to not panic because nothing in the schools would change.
Moreover, the Acting Principal Secretary also highlighted that the ministry was aware of the recent court judgement on the matter that pertains to the axing of SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC). She said the TSC was working on the judgement.