By Sifiso Nhlabatsi and Phumelele Mtsetfwa | 2024-10-16

MBABANE THOUGH it has a huge students’ enrolment yearly, government has announced that it will stop sponsoring students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities. Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi said this would be with effect from the 2025/2026 academic year.

The announcement was made during a press briefing at the ministry's conference room, where Buthelezi revealed that the decision to stop funding the Humanities programme was part of a broader re-evaluation of government priorities in tertiary education funding. The minister further disclosed that while the Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) would continue to be funded for the 2024/2025 academic year, funding for it would be phased out by the end of the 2028/2029 academic year.

This policy shift has been met with shock and concern from key stakeholders, including the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) and the Eswatini Schools Committee and Parents Association (ESCAPA), both of which have criticised the lack of consultation and expressed their worry about the long-term consequences for the education sector. The minister explained that the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities programme, which had traditionally been one of the most popular courses for students in the country, would no longer be supported by government because it does not align with the list of priority areas for education funding. According to the minister, a revised list of priority study areas would be published in due course.

"It is important to note that the ministry will no longer fund the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities programme with effect from the 2025/2026 academic year as the programme does not form part of the priority areas of study. All students wishing to pursue the programme from the 2025 academic year onwards will need to be self-funded," he said.

This announcement is expected to have immediate financial implications for students planning to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities in the next academic year, as they will no longer be eligible for government support.

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