Sifundzani School

Sifundzani School is an international school in Mbabane, Swaziland. It is a coeducational day school that offers an educational program from grades 1 through 12 for students of all nationalities. It was founded in 1981 by Briton Mary CL Fraser(MBE).

Curriculum

The curriculum is geared to the Swazi syllabus which is based on the British system, but is expanded to enable children from the United States and other countries to fit into the educational system in their home countries when they leave Swaziland. Instruction is in English with French and Siswati being taught as second languages. English-as-a-Second-Language is also included in the curriculum. Art, music, music appreciation, dance, piano, and recorder lessons are offered by visiting specialists. Physical education, offered at all grade levels, includes swimming, soccer, cricket, hockey, tennis, squash, and netball. The School now offers computer instruction to all grades. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills is administered to determine students' progress and to diagnose potential problem areas. Extracurricular activities include drama, chess, cross country, choir, art, and needlework.

Enrollment

At the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, enrollment was 631 (grades 1-7: 403; and grades 8-12: 228). Of the total, 9 were U.S. citizens, 441 were host-country nationals, and 181 were dependents of other nationalities.

Faculty

In the 2004-2005 school year, there are 35 full-time and 13 part-time teachers. The staff includes 3 U.S. citizens, 15 host-country nationals and 30 third-country nationals.Current Primary School Principal is Ella Magongo and High School Principal is Phindile Magongo.the school was sued $ 9 million for nepotism but the case was dismissed.

Facilities

The primary school, on 4 levels, is housed in 4 blocks which contain 15 classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, a media centre, a multi-purpose room, an administrative office, and a staff room. The sports facilities include a 25-meter x 15-meter swimming pool with changing rooms, a small and a larger full-sized playing field, and 2 tennis courts. The high school is situated at a separate location about 2.5 kilometers from the primary school and includes 7 double classroom blocks, a multi-purpose room, an administrative office, a computer laboratory, an art room, a tuck shop, a multi-purpose hall and a science laboratory. A new sports field has been completed. Some sports facilities are currently shared with the primary school. High school students study for the IGCSE and HIGCSE examinations.

Finances

In the 2004-2005 school year, 100% of the School's income derives from tuition and fees. The annual tuition rates are as follows: grades 1-8: $1,180; and grades 9-11: $2,600. (All fees are quoted in U.S. dollars.)

Former Head Prefects of High School

2004- Muziwanele Manyathi and Davina Zietsman

2005- Zinhle Maphalala and Jacobus van Schalkwyk

2006- Tiago Olivera and Ruth Simelane{skoni}

Famous visits

Prince Charles 1999

in February 2008 the school was visited by hip-hop sensation Kanye West

Source

This article was adapted from a US State Department report released on November 30, 2004, which is in the public domain:
* http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/1344.htm