MBABANE – Public schools could soon be required to charge a standardised fee after an education review committee recommended a uniform amount for secondary education.
The recommendation is contained in the final report of the Education, Training and Skills Development Committee, which has been received by Minister for Education and Training Owen Nxumalo.
The committee, chaired by Tizzie Maphalala, conducted consultations across the country as part of its review of the education and training system.
A subcommittee visited the four regions to assess school fees charged by secondary schools and found significant differences in the amounts parents are required to pay.
The committee has recommended a reasonable standard fee that could be charged by all public schools while ensuring that learners continue to receive quality education.
The proposed standardisation would, however, exclude boarding fees at schools offering boarding facilities. The recommendation comes against a background of concerns over the rising cost of education and the financial burden placed on parents.
The committee also identified delays in the disbursement of government funds to schools as a challenge. It recommended that the Ministry of Education and Training speed up payments to enable schools to meet their operational obligations throughout the year.
The issue of school fees has previously attracted government attention. In April, Minister Nxumalo called for school fees to be standardised after it emerged that schools offering the same level and duration of education were charging significantly different amounts. The committee’s latest recommendation goes further by proposing a common fee structure for public secondary schools. The report is not yet available to the public.
The minister said it would first be taken through Cabinet and Parliament before it is made publicly available.
Nxumalo said the report contains a fully costed operational plan with implementation timelines, responsibilities and estimated costs. The plan was developed with technical support from UNICEF.
The committee was established through Legal Notice No. 128 of 2024 under the Commissions of Enquiry Act of 1963. Its mandate covered education from early childhood through basic education, TVET, higher education and lifelong learning. The committee consulted more than 23 institutions, as well as young people and educators, during its work.
The proposed fee standardisation forms part of a wider set of reforms aimed at making education more affordable, relevant and responsive to the needs of the country.
Eswatini’s Education Sector Strategic Plan 2022–2034 already identifies equitable education financing and spending as one of its strategic priorities.
The plan also calls for action to reduce financial barriers to remaining in school.
UNICEF has previously identified the high cost of secondary education and parents’ inability to meet additional school charges as among factors contributing to learners dropping out. The committee also recommended action on teacher shortages, calling for vacant posts created when teachers die, retire or leave the service to be filled promptly.
The recommendations are yet to become government policy, with their implementation dependent on the processes that will follow consideration by Cabinet and Parliament.
