Swaziland: Mswati’s public school catechism policy should be challenged – says Swaziland Solidarity Network

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