The unleashing of police officers to brutally assault University students who are demanding scholarships and or allowances from government suggests that education has been criminalized in this country.
King Mswati who happens to be the Chancellor of the Univesity of Eswatini(UNESWA) has proven that he hates education and perceives educated citizens as a threat to his regime, it remains enigmatic how such a person could be elevated to the highest position within the country's institution of higher learning.
Indeed, education has become a struggle in this country such that students had to go through experience of being brutally beaten by the police, Ayanda Mkhabela the then UNESWA student was forced into disability by the King's royal police merely for demanding her right to education, government unleashed police officers with vehicles of war against the students.
Even though we have citizens in this country like Sithembiso Dlamini who established' Donate Text Books', a Non Governmental Organisation(NGO) that assist needy children with books to enhance their education and Ernest Magongo who founded an upgrading school Pro-Learning, government seems keen to destroy education instead of supporting these initiatives.
King Mswati should be ashamed of himself for destroying the education system in this country, his children went to study abroad using our taxes without going through the pain of being beaten by the police but children of the ordinary citizens are tortured just for expressing their desire to be educated to enhance their future.
It is very unfortunate that apart from the scholarship crisis in this country, government is failing to pay school fees for Orphans and Vulnerable Children(OVCs) despite the fact that the Eswatini Revenue Authority(SRA) continues to grab more money from the citizens that is then used to fund the lavish lifestyle of the King and politicians.
But then, the Tinkhundla system of governance is collapsing, the youth of this country will not tolerate this, we can’t be ruled by a regime that oppresses people and go as far as criminalising education just to make sure the poor remain poor.
Life is literally a struggle in this country and it is becoming clear that this government does not have a development plan to improve the lives for the youth except to buy weapons like teargas to fight them.
It is worth mentioning that as the situation stands, government is grooming an angry youth that might remove this system, the brutality being planted will geminate one day.
The youth should start by questioning why their parents are silent in the midst of this police brutality on students, after all, they never agreed to be ruled through this oppressive system of governance but their parents who agreed and accepted this Tinkhundla ‘nonsense’ should participate in restoring the dignity of the people in this country.
As mentioned, education has been criminalized in this country, teachers are frustrated with low wages.When they protest, like the students, they are beaten by the police and there is no working equipment in the various schools across the country.
In conclusion, let me advise all Univesity students in this country to unite and put pressure on government to release their allowances, these are taxpayers money and under normal circumstances, parents who are paying taxes should be participating in encouraging government to release the scholarships.
The King should stop criminalizing education, it is, and will never be a crime, instead it empowers and enhances skills for a better future. Education is not a crime Your Majesty, the brutality on University students must stop.
King Mswati