Education and Training - ENYC

The policy environment in the country appears to be conducive to a strong and inclusive educational system. The Education sector is governed by several policy documents and frameworks such as the Education and Training Sector Policy of 2018, Ministry of Education and Training Strategic Plan, Care and Support for teaching and learning framework, Competency based education framework, and the Free Primary Education Act of 2010. Policies outside of the Education Sector that nevertheless guide or inform education and training policy include the Poverty Reduction Strategy Action Plan (PRSAP), the National Youth Policy, the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act (CPWA), and the National Development Strategy (NDS).

The country provides OVC grants and free primary education but faces issues of grade repeating and drop-outs throughout primary and secondary, and overall low enrolment and attendance at higher levels. Pregnancy is a strong contributor to drop-outs for girls, and there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that corporal punishment and sexual violence may be contributing factors as well. Eswatini has quite a high literacy rate, at 91.03% for the overall population and at 92.1% and 95.3% for young men and women between 15-24, respectively. Compared with many other countries in the region, these literacy rates are quite high. However, there is some variation between men (92.5%) and women (89.7%), and again, as with many other indicators, there is an urban/rural divide.

Youth-specific data on literacy rates among the urban and rural population are not kept. However, given that most young people reside in rural areas, it is reasonable to conclude that there is also a lower literacy rate among rural youth. Overall, youth literacy stands at 95.3% of women 15-24 and 92.1% of men, making youth literacy among young women roughly equivalent to the general population, and slightly higher than the general population for young men.