Access to quality education for all emaSwati is the most powerful instrument at our disposal to pursue and achieve a better standard of life for all, fight and end poverty, create sustainable and quality jobs, increased productivity, and ensure a future Eswatini which supports each person to discover and reach their full potential.
As the Eswatini Higher Education Council (ESHEC) we laud His Majesty King Mswati III for his vision for quality, innovative, and relevant education, and for being a relentless supporter of the education sector of Eswatini. Over the years His Majesty has urged the government and its social partners to prioritize improving education through resource allocation, technical support, and interventions aimed at achieving holistic development of the individual.
The same passion for the education arena was witnessed on Friday when His Majesty delivered the Speech from the Throne during the official opening of the First Session of the 12th Parliament of the Kingdom of Eswatini.
Buoyed by the King’s rallying call to deliver quality, innovative education, ESHEC will double down on efforts to build and strengthen partnerships to create a future where all emaSwati can access quality, relevant education that empowers them to thrive and positively impact society.
The end game, as stated in the National Development Strategy (NDS) of (2016), is to strengthen collaboration with industry and key stakeholders in efforts to enhance skills and establish a skilled, diverse, and relevant workforce, and cadre of entrepreneurs, as an integral part of Eswatini’s socio-economic progress and poverty reduction strategy.
For the uninitiated, ESHEC is a government entity established by the Higher Education Act of 2013. Its mandate includes the promotion, accreditation, coordination, and determination of higher education in Eswatini. Among its many responsibilities within the higher education space, ESHEC is entrusted with formulating policies on higher education and provides expert advice to the Minister of Education and Training on all matters related to higher education.
We at ESHEC are committed to playing our part in supporting the King’s vision and the country’s ambitions for continued improvements towards an education system that equips emaSwati with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to lead fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to the development of their families, communities and the country.
As we strive to fulfill our mandate, we aspire, as ESHEC, to collaborate with industry and professional organizations. Our goal is to align with industry in all our accreditation and regulation processes to guarantee that higher education institutions equip graduates with competitive and relevant skills to meet current and future national and global demands. The Eswatini National Skills Audit Report 2021, identifies data science, STEM, accounting software, agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, and ICT, as some of the skills needed in the next 3-5 years, to fuel Eswatini’s journey of industrial growth.
We remain committed to nurturing creativity and international best practices in the education space, as these attributes breed a culture of innovation and prepare individuals to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
A critical focus area for ESHEC is to support efforts by educational institutions to adopt and adapt to the emerging technological advancements in the education landscape. Examples include adaptive learning software, educational apps, audio and video lectures, virtual reality and simulations, and text-to-speech software. There is no gainsaying that technology can be leveraged to upgrade the standard of educational experiences, and also provide timely insight that complements learning. While not a cure-all, technological advances may drastically benefit teaching and the acquirement of knowledge when used optimally.
Our approach in the higher education sub-sector does not end with promoting academic excellence but empowers the students to make well-informed decisions. This helps them develop strong character traits such as integrity, empathy, and resilience. These character traits are essential for success in life and contribute to the overall well-being of individuals and society.
Whilst there are many achievements on the road to delivering quality, relevant education in Eswatini, there remains a range of challenges that require addressing collaboratively. The barriers that have been identified in wide-ranging surveys include but are not limited to, financial constraints, social-family factors, a disparity between the available skills and those required by the job market, and a mismatch between the qualifications of graduates and industry needs. The absence of present and future demand-oriented skills development also contributes immensely to this problem. Hence, despite the government’s substantial investment and the production of numerous graduates, unemployment remains a structural problem in the country.
As ESHEC we strongly believe that though these challenges may be daunting, they are not insurmountable. If we act together as key stakeholders in the education ecosystem we can overcome these challenges.
The starting point to finding lasting, future focussed solutions is for ESHEC (as the implementing arm of the Government), higher education institutions, industry, and professional bodies to come together and chart the way forward. This involves a multi-stakeholder approach to isolate the challenges, identify opportunities related to human resource planning and development, address the current skill discrepancies and mismatches, and find ways to bridge the skills gaps and align graduates with present and future national and global skill demands.
With support from the government, and specifically in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Public Service, ESHEC is conducting an all-inclusive survey on skills development and anticipation in Eswatini. The valuable database from the survey could function as a basis for, and inform critical and emerging skills development initiatives.
Through higher education, we must cultivate the necessary skills required for success in the job market, industry, and overall economy. In unison, we can establish a proficient workforce to drive economic growth and attain a global competitive advantage. By doing so, we can also develop pertinent capacities that align with the development goals of our nation and ultimately define the present and future we aspire for our country. The crux of the matter at hand today is how we can achieve this objective with utmost efficiency and efficacy.
Once again, as ESHEC we laud His Majesty King Mswati III’s pronouncements on national development by, among other things, delivering a 360-degree quality, relevant education.
I will conclude by repeating a line from a World Bank Report titled ‘The Role of Education Quality in Economic Growth’ written by Eric A. Hanushek that: “But a more skilled population – almost certainly including both a broadly educated population and a cadre of top performers – results in stronger economic performance for nations.”