BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – The Ministry of Education and Training has postponed the opening of schools for the second term by a week, from May 7 to May 14, 2024.
According to Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo, this is due to the fact that there is the Ascension Day holiday on May 9, 2024, which will fall on a Thursday. In a statement issued by Minister Nxumalo, the postponement was made to avoid the inconvenience that could be posed by the holiday to pupils and parents.
“To minimise the inconvenience to pupils and parents, particularly in boarding schools, the Ministry, together with stakeholders, agreed to postpone schools re-opening by a week to the 14th of May 2024,” Nxumalo said.
Nxumalo assures everyone that the postponement is not going to affect the 2024 school calendar. According to the minister, the school calendar will still be within the international standards, which set the number of days per term to between 62 and 64 days. This number of days is believed to enable quality education to be delivered to pupils by educators, especially because some of the subjects done in local schools are internationally accredited.
The minister urges teachers and learners to use the added week to rest well and be ready for effective teaching and learning when schools re-open. He also advises the learners to read their books and study well during the added week, in order for them not to lose focus on their education. To focus, according to the minister, means to abstain from distractors such as drug abuse and engaging in illicit businesses. “I need you to be ready when schools re-open,” he said.
Nxumalo also pleads with the parents to perform their parental responsibilities to the fullest during the school break. He also encouraged the parents and guardians to support their children to study by creating an enabling environment even during these holidays. He said the children should be supervised at all times and that working parents should assign responsibilities to those who would be able to monitor the learners.
This will minimise chances for the children to engage in activities that will not be profitable for them. Parents must also make sure that children are protected at all times when they return to school. “Let us work together to ensure that our children enjoy their rights, including their right to education,” Nxumalo concluded.
