BY BANELE MAGONGO
MBABANE – Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thulisile Dladla and Minister of Education and Training, Owen Nxumalo, have launched a project to strengthen early childhood development and basic education in Eswatini.
The launch took place today at Mavuso Trade Centre in Manzini. The DPM was represented at the launch by DPMO Principal Secretary (PS) Melusi Masuku. The project is designed to improve the country’s human capital development by investing in its youngest citizens.
Minister for Education and training said: “I am greatly honoured to be in the presence of all our key partners in the common goal of Education for all, where we have the young ones, secondary level and tertiary level. The ministry and government of Eswatini are committed to ensuring that no child is left behind and it doing all it can to make sure that they complete their education.”
Nxumalo added: “Education remains key in the development of any country and is an essential component for developments, Eswatini is investing in human capital to ensure that we meet the aspirations of the nation which first world status.”
He said he was happy that the project they were launching was an enhancement of development in the country. “With our partners we have embark on pushing enrolment of all children this is inclusive of children from rural areas. In Maphiveni Primary school we managed to bring back more than 100 children who were out of school, also these children lack basic care and protection,” Nxumalo said.
A representative of the DPMO said that they were pleased to see that the project would include support for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) education. The representative noted that the OVC education program has become a challenging issue in Eswatini, and they are grateful to the Deputy Prime Minister’s office and the government for addressing this issue.
They also questioned whether the program was still serving its original purpose and achieving the desired results. This is an important consideration as the country works to improve education for all children.
The representative applauded the organisers for holding this event at the beginning of the year when people’s minds are fresh from the challenges and opportunities of the new school year. The timing of the launch is spot-on, and the representative commended the organisers for their foresight. The representative also noted that the project aimed to strengthen education at all levels, from early childhood to tertiary. The representative expressed gratitude to the World Bank and the Ministry of Education for their support and collaboration in this initiative.
