THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND
COUNTRY PROFILE
Background The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small, landlocked country in Southern Africa, comprising of just over 17, 000 square kilometers. It is about the same size as the American State of New Jersey, and is the smallest country in the Southern Hemisphere. It has a population of approximately 0ne million people. The population is a young one with 60% of the people aged under 21 years and 47% aged up to 15 years. The population is 76% rural and 24% urban with an urbanization rate of 30%.
The two official languages in Swaziland are siSwati and English. However French is taught as an alternative to siSwati. English is the medium of instruction and a compulsory subject at all schools.
The Government of Swaziland believes that the main resource of the Kingdom is the people. Against this backdrop, it has noted that it must invest in human resource development through education. It has also noted that in order to improve the quality of life for the Swazi, it is imperative that policies, strategies, and structures be established to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment, gender inequity, social disintegration and environmental pollution and degrading.
In order to improve quality, access and relevance of education, contribute to literacy promote equity, Government has embarked on the following:
a.. Develop special programs that are targeted at disadvantaged groups enable them to become more independent; b.. Ensure equal access to education and training for both boys and girls in formal and informal levels; c.. Integrate gender issues in the curriculum as part of the development studies. Schools & Education Education is a priority concern of the Swazi Government. Although education is neither compulsory nor free, primary school enrollment has doubled in the last ten years. Fees are charged for both primary and secondary education, but most students at the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) are on full or partial scholarships. There are 179 secondary schools and high schools in Swaziland and 153 primary schools. The majority of these schools are public and as such receive large subsidies from Government.
The age of starting school has changed from 6 years to 7 years in rural communities and remains at 6 years in urban areas. Most children in urban areas attend pre-school before entering elementary school that has seven grades. However, children from rural schools do not have access to pre-schools. At the end of the 7th grade & 10th grade, all pupils in the country's schools sit the Swaziland Primary Certificate Examination or the Junior Certificate Examination (JC.) These exams take place between October/December. The National Examination Council of Swaziland sets these examinations. Trained local teachers grade these examinations locally.
a.. Primary: 6/7 - 11/12 years: Grade 0 to grade 7: Examination: Swaziland Primary Certificate (SPC) b.. Middle school (secondary): 11/12 years - 13/14 years: Form 1 to Form 3 (grades 8-10): Examination: Junior Certificate (JC); Waterford Kamhlaba College and Sisekelo students do not sit for this national examination. Their students have an internal school examination.
a.. High School: 14 - 18 (20) years: Forms 4 to 5 (grades 11 and 12: Three type of examinations are offered at this level with most schools opting for GCE or GCSE administered by the University of Cambridge Examination Syndicate during November/December. Students will sit between 6 - 8 subjects and must credit 5 of these and pass English in order to enter the local university. Only one school, Sisekelo High, opted to offer its students a more relevant and more assessable education. This education is based on the South African Independent Examination Board (I.E.B) and more than 7000 matriculants in SA schools, including Sisekelo students write this exam which is a higher standard than the ordinary provincial departmental examinations. The IEB certificate results are accepted as entry to any tertiary institution in the region as well as certain universities abroad.
a.. Senior School: IB/A-Level: 18 to 20/21 years of age Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (Mbabane) offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. Entry into the IB program is open to students who achieve well in the GCE/IGCSE course with grades A or B in subjects to be taken at IB.
The IB Diploma program is a comprehensive and rigorous two-year curriculum, leading to examinations. Experience has shown that IB Diploma holders gain admission to selective universities throughout the world.
St. Mark's High School (Mbabane) on the other hand offers the Advance Level (A Level) courses. The A-Level program is considered the hallmark of academic excellence and offers entry into UK universities and many other English speaking African and Asian countries. This is a tough two-year program offering specialized subjects and attempted only by serious minded students: Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, English and the General Paper. The General Paper covers a wide range of disciplines including Arts and Humanities, Music and Drama, Current Affairs, etc.
Students who intend to study engineering and Medical disciplines are advised, for example, to take the following English, General Paper, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. Those who wish to follow a course in Pure Science leading to disciplines such as Biochemistry, Food Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry are advised to take the following combination: English, General Paper, Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
Most schools use the following Grade Description:
a.. Grade A 80% - 100%
b.. Grade B 70% - 79%
c.. Grade C 60% - 69%
d.. Grade D 50% - 59%
e.. Grade F 40% - 49%
f.. Grade G 30% - 39%
g.. Unclassified 0% - 29%
Board of Directors from each school decides on its own internal "FAIL" or "PASS", but for national examinations, the Examination Council decides the pass/fail grade.
The University of Swaziland (UNISWA)
The University of Swaziland is the Kingdom's national and only university. It has three campuses. UNISWA plays an important role in material development not only through providing the needed educated manpower, but also through using the university's potential as a focus for academic, cultural activities and scientific research for the nation.
UNISWA's Evaluating Description:
Degree Courses (Overall Performance)
A - 80% and above
B - 705 to 79 %
C - 60% to 69% D - 50% to 59%
E - 40% to 49%
F - Below 40%
Diploma/Certificate Courses (Overall Performance)
A & B - 70% and above Pass with Distinction
C - 60% to 69% Pass with Credit
D - 50% to 59% Pass
E - 40% to 49% Fail (can supplement)
F - Below 40% Fail
Colleges:
The Kingdom has a number of colleges scattered around the country:
a.. Institute of Distance Education (this is a wing of UNISWA & students are offered Diploma after successful achievement) The Institute was set up: to improve access to education and to reduce the inequalities in the acquisition of education; to work towards achieving universal literacy/numeracy; to reduce the cost of education by maximizing on the economics offered by distance education; and to develop life skills.
a.. SEBENTA National Institute (Adult Education, Diploma after completing course work) a.. William Pitcher Teacher Training College (offers Primary & Secondary Teachers' Diploma's Certificate) b.. Ngwane Teachers' College (offers Primary Teacher's Diploma Certificate) c.. The Nazarene Teacher Training College (Teaching Certificate) d.. Damelin Computer School (offers Diploma) e.. Swaziland College of Technology (offers a Diploma after two years of study) f.. Vocational Institute (offers Diploma after two years of study and practical work) There is a Technical Committee on Certification and Accreditation which consists of one representative from each of the following categories:
· Ministry official responsible for basic education;
· Ministry official responsible for higher education and training;
· Ministry official responsible for intermediate education;
· Ministry official responsible for distance education;
· Ministry official responsible for scholarships and bursaries;
· Ministry official responsible for higher education
· Examination's Council of Swaziland
· Accreditation Board
This Committee is guided by a set of rules of procedure.
The Kingdom of Swaziland's Country Profile is submitted by:
Marjorie N. Balarin
Cultural Affairs Assistant/Educational Advisor
Embassy of the United States of America - PD Section
P.O. Box 199
Mbabane H100
Southern Africa
Tel: (+268) 404 2445/404 2059
Fax: (+268) 404 5846
E-mail: Balarin@usembassy.org.szPouch Address:
PAO Lohof
Department of State
2350 Mbabane PL
Washington, DC
20521-2350