The Swaziland Nation Association of Teachers (SNAT) says they will soon table a demand to the Eswatini Government through the Ministry of Education and Training requesting the government to hire more teachers as the country prepares for the re-opening of schools in a safe manner.

In a Live video aimed at updating teachers and the nation at large about the re-opening of schools, SNAT Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini reiterated that teachers are committed to the safe re-opening of schools in the country and are working closely with their line Ministry in ensuring that.

He said the aim is for SNAT and the Ministry of Education and Training to assists all schools lacking behind so that they can also be at an acceptable level for the pupils to resume classes.

Dlamini said as an organization, they feel like schools should have been opened by now to minimize the damages inflicted by the lockdown measures to the pupils. However, Dlamini said SNAT cannot risk the lives of her members, kids, and their parents in the process.

“We are committed to the re-opening of schools, we need the government, all institutions, schools both primary and high schools to fully comply with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards and the National COVID-19 safety and health standards because statistics have shown that this is a killer disease and we do not want to risk lives,” said Dlamini.

Dlamini said the re-opening of schools in a safe manner calls for the government to hire more new teachers so that each Teacher may handle not more than 20 pupils per session. He said the country is blessed because it is awash with hundreds and hundreds of teachers roaming the streets because of unemployment.

Apart from the engagement of new teachers, Dlamini said the government needs to also hire about 4 000 teachers whose contracts expired and were not renewed in 2020 and 2021. Dlamini said this is a serious issue to them as an organization that deals with the protection and interest of the teachers.

Dlamini also revealed that the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), a body that deals with the hiring of teachers in the country assured the Teachers Association that it will be re-employing teachers once more.