SSN- STATEMENT: 27 January, 2017
The
Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] strongly condemns King Mswati’s decision to
limit the scope of the country’s curriculum. The country’s Prime Minister, Mr
Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini told the nation that his king’s government had
unilaterally taken the decision to limit the country’s Religious Studies
curriculum to teach only about Christianity.
Expanding
on this new policy, the Prime Minister said that while other religions could be
taught at a later stage of the country’s education system, in the early grades
Swazi learners are henceforth going to only learn about Christianity.
It
is quite clear therefore that the ruling regime aims to condition young
learners towards the Christian religion and be ignorant, and thus prejudiced,
towards other religions. This is in violation of the country’s own
constitutions which allows all religious communities to instruct learners about
their own religions and allows them to teach about others.
The
SSN further urges all Swazi parents and the Swaziland National Association of
Teachers to legally and otherwise challenge the state’s attempt to turn the
country’s public schools into Catechism classes.
Issued by the Swaziland Solidarity
Network [SSN]
Contact:
Lucky
Lukhele- Spokesperson
+2781 458 5658
