“Free Primary Education” and Local Communities in Lesotho: The Disadvantages of the Highlands

Against the general background of rural poverty and regional inequality in Lesotho, this paper illustrates the persistent educational problems of the highland region.

Since 2000 the national government has pursued policies of free tuition and free school meals, intended to make primary education accessible to all children, including those from the poorest households. Local communities have a strong voice in the recruitment of principals and teachers for primary schools.

Nevertheless, highland primary schools compare poorly with those in the lowlands on a range of indicators of school resources and pupils’ outcomes. Case studies of teacher motivation suggest that cultural factors in local communities combine with problems of accessibility and of school organisation to impede the delivery of effective education in the highlands. The paper reflects critically on the interpretation of “Education For All” in Lesotho and resulting policies such as a reduced managerial role for voluntary agencies and the increased use of unqualified teachers. It concludes that these policies have not necessarily been helpful for local community empowerment and have very mixed.

Profile
Dr. James Urwick joined CGDE as a Research Fellow based at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick in January 2009. Of English background, James has long experience of educational work in Africa and the Caribbean, as a lecturer, researcher, consultant and planner. His past research has focused mainly on issues relating to the planning and quality of basic education and teacher education in developing countries. From 2004 to 2008 he was responsible for academic planning and research in the Lesotho College of Education and he contributed to the formation of CGDE’s link with that college. James is now helping CGDE to develop its research links with Uganda and Lesotho.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

(apologies for the poor sound quality on this audio)

View the flyer