Abstract
M.Ed.
Swaziland has a total land area of 17364 square kilometres (Vilakati 1986:134). It is divided into
four administrative regions, namely, Hhohho in the north, Manzini in the central west, Shiselweni in
the south and Lubombo in the east. The 1986 census put the total resident population at just over
618 000 people, which indicates an average population growth rate of around 3,2% per annum for
the intercensal period of 1986 (7th National Development Plan 1996-1999:31).
Like the population, the schools are also evenly distributed throughout the four administrative
regions. According to the National Education Review Commission Report (1985:9), there are 470
primary schools and are evenly distributed among the regions. There are also 89 secondary schools,
out of which 40 are senior classes, form IV and form V. These are also evenly distributed among
the four regions.
Swaziland, like most countries, spends a large share of its budget on education (Swaziland Today
1997:4). Indicators are that in the 1997/98 financial year, the Ministry of Education got 25% of the
total budget (Budget speech 1997/98). It should be noted that there is no free education. In fact the
government policy has been that it finances students at tertiary level. It is therefore said that the
scholarship has increased the total recurrent budget by 17% (Swaziland Today 1997:4).
Lulsegged (1984:3) asserts that the education system of Swaziland has witnessed remarkable
expansion and relative development in the last 17 years. This is due to the fact that the system
placed more emphasis on making schooling accessible to as many children as possible especially
those in age group 6-13 (7th National Development Plan 1996-1999 : 87). This has been the trend
since the regaining of national independence in 1968. The Ministry of Education has achieved
gratifying levels of education development by 1984 (7 th National Development Plan 1996-99: 147).
Such achievements could not have been possible without the involvement of teachers in the
implementation of the education system. Fullan (1993:9) maintains that teachers' capacity to deal
with change, learn it, and help students learn from it, is critical for the future development of
society. Teachers are surely part of the plan to ensure that educational goals of any education
system are achieved. This, they do through the teaching and learning process, also through being
actively involved in curriculum development (Pate et al 1997:7). Teachers' experience of education
seem to be very crucial for educational changes. They provide curriculum designers with a better
understanding of the pupils. These may include, their social needs, emotional needs, motivational
needs, and physical needs. Such amount of knowledge about the pupils provide paradigm shifts
towards education in general. There is a move to look at the education system in terms of what is
being learned and by whom (Pate et al 1997:2). These experiences enable the curriculum designer
to consider the whole child, not just the cognitive needs. As such, the education provided will be
responsive to the interests and needs of students as well as maintaining academically challenging
standards. These experiences will also enhance teachers instructional methods. It will enable
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teachers to try new and innovative ideas, in the light of an all embracing education system. Not only
that teacher's will improve the instructional methods, they will also be motivated to teach what they
identify with. This will reduce the tendency whereby teachers feel demotivated, reluctant and
impulsive about their instructional methods.
It seems teachers' experiences are critical especially in the implementation stage of an educational
system. This helps in ensuring that there will be less or no resistance in carrying out those policy
decisions. Policy makers are therefore assured that teachers would duly implement whatever policy
of the education system when their experiences are known and considered.
Teachers seem to have their own experiences of any education system. With this, one may assume
that the teaching and learning process, and the whole educational goal may be affected.