BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
MANZINI– Unpaid school fees are making it difficult for head teachers to run schools, prompting a strong appeal to parents to meet their financial obligations and respect the educators responsible for their children’s future.
Director of Education Dr Tholakele Mngomezulu-Dlamini made the call during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Metropolitan Church in Manzini, on October 8, 2026, where she stressed that parents must play their part in ensuring schools function effectively.
“Respect the teacher. Please pay school fees for your child. Support the head teachers. Our head teachers are struggling to run schools because parents are failing to pay for their learners,” she said.
She reminded parents that school fees remain payable at secondary school level and stressed that failure to meet these obligations creates challenges for school management.
Her message placed parents’ responsibilities at the centre of efforts to improve education, emphasising that schools need the support of families to provide an environment where children can learn effectively.
Dr Mngomezulu-Dlamini said teachers remained essential to the country’s education ambitions, noting that learners’ achievements were closely linked to the quality of teaching they received.
“When a Grade 3 child learns to read with understanding, a teacher made that happen. When a Form 5 learner finally grasps algebra, a teacher made that happen,” she said.
She said the Ministry’s education sector strategic plan aimed to prepare children and young people for life through quality education, improved human capital development and inclusive growth.
To achieve this, she said, Eswatini needed a teaching profession that attracts talented young people, rewards excellence in the classroom and provides opportunities for professional development.
She added that experienced educators should be able to advance as mentors, master teachers and subject leaders without necessarily leaving classroom teaching for management positions.
The Director also stressed the importance of ensuring that learners in rural communities receive the same quality of education as those in urban areas.
“A child in a remote school in Ntsingweni and Lubombo deserves the same quality of teacher as a child in central Mbabane and central Manzini,” she said.
As education continues to evolve, Dr Mngomezulu-Dlamini said teachers needed digital skills to prepare learners for a world increasingly shaped by technology and artificial intelligence.
“Artificial intelligence will not replace the teacher. But teachers who know how to use it wisely will open doors for their learners that they can barely imagine today,” she said.
The Ministry’s plans also include strengthening the competency-based curriculum and promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), while equipping learners with critical thinking, creativity and responsible citizenship.
Dr Mngomezulu-Dlamini further called for improved teacher welfare and working conditions, saying educators should have a voice in decisions affecting their profession.
She thanked teachers for their dedication, acknowledging the long hours spent preparing lessons, marking schoolwork and supporting learners who face academic challenges.
She also called on government, teacher organisations and development partners to continue working together to strengthen the profession and improve learning outcomes.
“Sixty years ago, the world agreed that teaching is a profession worthy of respect. Today, the Ministry of Education and Training, Eswatini, renews that promise, and we intend to keep it,” she said.
The appeal served as a reminder that improving education requires commitment from all stakeholders, with parents expected to play their part by paying school fees and treating teachers with the respect their work deserves.
