Education Fact Sheet

Minister for Education and Training: Hon. Dr Phineas Magagula

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.