Swaziland

Printer-friendly versionThe first steps towards the creation of the Swazi nation were taken during the mid-18th century when Ngwane III led his people inland to settle in what is now southern Swaziland. Archaeological digs in modern times have revealed that the region, prior to these arrivals, had been hunting grounds of the nomadic Khoisan for all the constituent eras of the Stone Age. When King Sobhuza I succeeded Ngwane III, he fought numerous territorial battles. The result of these endeavours was that that his successor, King Mswati II, inherited a realm twice the size of contemporary Swaziland.

White adventurers and fortune-hunters began arriving in Swaziland during the 1840s leading to the Boer and British representatives vying for administrative domination of the Kingdom, efforts that were in line with their determination to control all of Southern Africa.

King Sobhuza II was born in 1899 while these powers were engaged in the Anglo-Boer War, at the conclusion of which Britain engaged its 66-year rule of Swaziland as a protectorate. Immediately upon his coming-of-age, the young monarch began his quest to recover land belonging to the Swazi nation and he ruled Swaziland until his death in 1982. He was succeeded in 1986 by his son and current monarch, King Mswati III.

Swaziland attained independence from Britain in September 1968, and inherited a Westminister-style constitution deemed by the Swazi nation as unsuitable for its traditional criteria and which was consequently suspended.

Education is regarded as the cornerstone of economic and social development in Swaziland; and the objective of the government is to provide education that is affordable, accessible and relevant. Schools fall under three categories, government, grant aided and private. The main levels of education are primary, secondary and tertiary. Literacy in Swaziland is about 75 percent. Primary education is widely available and almost all children enrol for school. In line with the Millennium Development Goals and the constitution of the country, the government is phasing-in free primary school education. Primary school level lasts for five years while the secondary level is for three years.

The last two years of high school are for the International General Certificate Secondary Education (IGCSE) that has been recently adopted. Several institutes provide different levels of technical, commercial and vocational training; and there are three teacher-training colleges. Nurses are trained by a college and by the University of Swaziland.

Investment in education is a key component in the national budget. In 2008, E100-million83 was set aside to educate the country’s orphans and vulnerable children whose school-enrolled number, at the latest count, stood at 99 000. These children are among the people on whom HIV and AIDS is impacting, as their parents succumb to the pandemic. E34.9-million was allocated to stationery and textbooks for primary schools, and a further E207-million was allocated to the  niversity of Swaziland to meet its mandate to create education opportunities for demand-driven teaching and research.