Education in Lesotho has undergone reforms in recent years,[when?] meaning that primary education is now free, universal, and compulsory.[citation needed]

Introduction [ edit ]

Lesotho spends a higher proportion of its GDP (13%) on education than any other country in the world [1] and an average child in Lesotho can expect to spend 10 years of their life in education.[2] Education is compulsory only between the ages of 6 and 13.[3] Secondary school education is non-compulsory, and as of 2005 was attended by 24.0% of 13- to 17-year-olds.[4] There is a gender disparity present in secondary education, with more females attending than males. This disparity is greatest in wealthier areas, where males are 15.6% less likely than females to attend secondary school.[4] Lesotho's educational system is organized in formal and informal domains.[5] Lesotho contains a 3-7-3-2 formal education structure.[6] Early childhood education is also known as pre-primary school in which students must pass 3 years before moving onto primary school.[6] Primary school consists of seven grades (1-7) and upon completion receive the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) certificate that allows students to move onto secondary schools.[6]There are two divisions within the secondary school known as the lower and Upper secondary.[6] Lower secondary runs for three years (8-10) and upon completion are given the Junior Certificate (JC) and move onto grades 11-12.[6] Lesotho's formal system has about 2,204 pre-primary schools, 1,478 primary schools, roughly 341 post-primary schools and 14 higher education institutions.[7] Lesotho's informal domains comprises of 26 technical and vocational schools that offer individuals training in automotive mechanics, bricklaying and home sciences.[7] The informal education is set in place to address the educational needs for those who are unable to attend education through formal means while also providing primary and secondary education.[7] Secondary education covers five years, three year junior secondary and a two year senior secondary.[8] One must pass the nationally administered Junior Certificate Examination to continue then culminates in the external examination of the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate (GCE 0-Level) that grants access to tertiary programs.[7] Most university studies at the undergraduate level leading to a bachelor's degree takes four years to complete and masters programs typically take two years to complete.[7]

Education reforms [ edit ]

Free primary education began to be introduced to Lesotho in the year 2000.[9] Before that, many boys received no primary education at all and spent their time herding animals.[10] The adult literacy rate is higher for women (95%) than for men (83%).[2] When free primary education was introduced, the government of Lesotho decided to phase it in gradually, with fee elimination beginning for the youngest children in the year 2000.[3] In 2010, with primary school enrollment rates standing at 82%, an Education Act was introduced to make primary education not only free but also compulsory.[11] While Lesotho does allocate over 23.3% of its budget on education, study in 2015 determined there were many challenges facing the educational sector.[7] One such challenge includes poor retention rates at both primary and secondary levels.[7] Other challenges included in the report are low student learning outcomes, high inefficiency in the system, and poor school governance.[7] Many educational sectors also lack acceptable facilities and find it difficult to retain teachers, especially in mountainous districts or other areas where it is difficult to reach.[7] As a result, Lesotho implemented the Educational Sector Strategic Plan for 2016-2026 to address these challenges.[7] Lesotho's education plan for 2016–2026 is split into 13 chapters that cover an array of topics within the Ministry of Education and training.[7] The plan not only serves as a blueprint for the Ministry's budget allocation for the decade but wants to focus on low performance in STEM subjects.[5]





Female education [ edit ]

While it is common for education to favor males, especially in low-income countries, the gender gap in education tends to favor women in Lesotho.[12] The ratio in enrollment rates in secondary education are 1.6 females for every male, making it the highest in the world.[12] Female education comes from the result of male out-migration to South Africa due to high unemployment and poverty.[12] This caused women to outnumber men by four-to-one while most of the most who migrated stayed in South Africa.[12] Despite the high enrollment rates of women, girls in lower education, drop out rates remain high attributed to cultural, economic and social factors. [8]



Challenges [ edit ]

While Lesotho's Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) introduced free primary education, many students with disabilities were excluded from education.[12] In the 1990s, the ministry released their goals that would advocate for integrating people with disabilities.[12] They include special education programs to help train teachers to particular set of students.[12] With the passing of the Education Sector Strategic Plan in 2005, it targeted to significantly increase access for children with special educational needs (SEN) and promote more integration.[12] There is still a shortage of qualified teachers in subjects such as science, math, business and technical topics.[12]

Universities [ edit ]

Lesotho has two universities. Its main university is the National University of Lesotho, located in Roma, which has around 2000 registered students. The capital, Maseru, has been home to a campus of Limkokwing University since 2008.[13]

References [ edit ]



