Home > Member countries > Swaziland
Education in Swaziland
- Country Profile
- Education Fact Sheet
- Management & Administration of Education
- Reading & Math Achievement Levels
- Research papers and theses
- SACMEQ Indicators
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Swaziland is one of the smallest countries in Africa. It covers an area of about 17, 500 sq. km and has a population of around 1.1 million. Swaziland uses a system of government that it inherited from the British colonial system in conjunction with the traditional system of local councils presided over by the King. There are four administrative districts, Hhohho, Manzini, Shiselweni and Lubombo. Each district has a Ministry of Education office that is headed by a District Education Officer.
Swaziland’s main priority at Independence in 1968 was to expand its school system. Over the following 20 years there was a major increase in resources made available to all levels of education, and a systematic movement towards the achievement of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1985. In recent years the country has been struggling to maintain UPE because of difficulties associated with financial constraints, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and poverty - which is beginning to manifest itself in the rural areas of the country.
Demographics*:
Total population: |
1 133 613 (2006) |
Annual population growth: |
1.0% (2005) |
Rural population: |
75.9% (2005) |
*latest data as of March 2009 from UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Minister for Education and Training: Hon. Wilson Ntshangase
Education System:
Pre-Primary education
The Ministry of Education’s policy has moved away from Pre-School Education that caters for children between the ages 3 to 6 in order to also incorporate ages 0 to 3. However, the Ministry has no formal control over this very early level of education because it has not yet been fully integrated into the formal education structure.
Basic education
Swaziland adopted a ten-year basic education programme as part of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Education. Seven years of primary education are followed by three years of lower secondary education. This system faces several challenges that include ensuring the availability of schools and teachers, and the provision of teacher salaries.
Secondary education
As in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Swaziland’s school system allows only a small proportion of students access to secondary school. The bulk of the students drop out at earlier levels. The Government is exploring ways to ensure that graduates at this level possess the skills and knowledge to participate effectively in society. This has led to the development of a prevocational pilot project that aims to give children practical and entrepreneurial skills.
Non-formal education
Non-formal education is currently in the hands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and parastatal bodies. They mainly address the need for adult literacy and numeracy programmes.
Management and Administration of Education
The education system is still very centralised, with all power and authority located at the national level. There is minimal delegation, and the main task of the District Education Officers is to focus efforts on the implementation of national policies.
The National Ministry of Education manages the curriculum, assessment procedures, and recruitment of teachers. However it should be noted that this is carried out in association with local communities and civil society. Financial planning is controlled by the Ministry of Planning and Development and the Ministry of Finance. That is, the Ministry of Education’s financial operations are decided and monitored elsewhere - a situation that offers many challenges for the Ministry of Education.
See the SACMEQ reports for more information.
Swaziland - Reading and Math Achievement Levels
SACMEQ II (2000) Reading achievement
- Percentage of Grade 6 pupils at each level:
| Level 1 | Pre Reading | 0.3 % |
| Level 2 | Emergent Reading | 1.7 % |
| Level 3 | Basic Reading | 10.9 % |
| Level 4 | Reading for Meaning | 31.7 % |
| Level 5 | Interpretive Reading | 31.4 % |
| Level 6 | Inferential Reading | 15.3 % |
| Level 7 | Analytical Reading | 6.9 % |
| Level 8 | Critical Reading | 1.8 % |
SACMEQ II (2000) Math achievement
- Percentage of Grade 6 pupils at each level:
| Level 1 | Pre Numeracy | 0.8 % |
| Level 2 | Emergent Numeracy | 21.3 % |
| Level 3 | Basic Numeracy | 44.3 % |
| Level 4 | Beginning Numeracy | 21.8 % |
| Level 5 | Competent Numeracy | 8.6 % |
| Level 6 | Mathematically Skilled | 2.4 % |
| Level 7 | Concrete Problem Solving | 0.7 % |
| Level 8 | Abstract Problem Solving | 0.2 % |
For more country statistics, see also:
PUPIL
PERFORMANCE ON ALL ITEMS |
||||
SACMEQ II |
READING |
MATHEMATICS |
||
| REGION | MEAN |
SE |
MEAN |
SE |
| HHOHHO | 541.0 |
8.02 |
527.4 |
7.48 |
| LUBOMBO | 534.5 |
8.63 |
524.4 |
5.41 |
| MANZINI | 525.0 |
6.20 |
509.0 |
4.57 |
| SHISELWEN | 516.5 |
5.98 |
505.1 |
7.76 |
| SWAZILAND | 529.6 |
3.74 |
516.5 |
3.41 |
| SUB-GROUPS | READING |
MATHEMATICS |
||
MEAN |
SE |
MEAN |
SE |
|
| GENDER | ||||
| BOYS | 525.0 |
4.16 |
518.9 |
3.31 |
| GIRLS | 533.9 |
3.80 |
514.3 |
3.97 |
| SOCIO- ECONOMIC LEVEL |
||||
| LOW SES | 519.1 |
2.76 |
511.3 |
3.03 |
| HIGH SES | 541.0 |
5.79 |
522.2 |
5.16 |
| SCHOOL LOCATION | ||||
| ISOLATED/RURAL | 517.8 |
3.27 |
510.9 |
3.43 |
| SMALL TOWN | 552.2 |
11.03 |
528.3 |
6.79 |
| LARGE CITY | 562.2 |
13.16 |
531.1 |
13.29 |
| SWAZILAND | 529.6 |
3.74 |
516.5 |
3.41 |
- SACMEQ II Report:
Year |
Author |
Title |
2005 |
Shabalala, J. |
The SACMEQ II Project in Swaziland: A Study of the Conditions of Schooling and the Quality of Education. Harare: SACMEQ. |
- National Policy Briefs:
Year |
Authors |
Title |
2011 |
Shabalala, C. & Dlamini, C. |
|
2011 |
Shabalala, J. & Nxumalo, P. |
|
2011 |
Shabalala, J. |
Year |
Authors |
Title |
2005 |
Mokaeane V. Polaki and
Makhala B. Khoeli |
A Cross-National Comparison of Primary School Children’s Performance in Mathematics Using SACMEQ II Data for Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Paper presented to the International Invitational Educational Policy Research Conference, Paris, France, 28 September 2 October, 2005. |
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