Schools In Lesotho Research Articles

Collaboration: The Key for Creating Conditions Conducive to Academic Performance of Children with Physical Disabilities in Lesotho Schools

Collaboration: The Key for Creating Conditions Conducive to Academic Performance of Children with Physical Disabilities in Lesotho Schools

Teachers’ and principals’ challenges in implementing Life Skills Education at secondary schools in Lesotho

Lack of training complicates the teaching and learning process. This study explores teachers' and principals’ challenges in implementing Life Skills Education (LSE) at secondary schools in Lesotho. Few graduate teachers received short-term training on LSE; hence, most teachers already practising in schools cannot teach LSE. The findings also revealed that teachers encountered challenges implementing LSE in Lesotho secondary schools. The results indicated that teachers feel troubled when teaching LSE for multiple reasons. These include the lack of skills of unqualified teachers and teachers' lack of confidence and interest. As a result, teachers turn to inappropriate teaching methods. The results indicated that sexuality education and HIV and AIDS could challenge the delivery and implementation of LSE schools. Thus, teachers need to acquire appropriate training and teaching methods in LSE.

Fostering an enabling environment for Learners with Special Needs in rural primary schools in Lesotho

Successful inclusion of Learners with Special Educational Needs in mainstream teaching and learning is a challenge globally. This study explores fostering an enabling environment for Learners with Special Educational Needs in rural primary schools in Lesotho. Data for the study were collected using a qualitative approach using a case study design, and analysis was done through Thematic Analysis. Thirteen teachers from two primary schools in the rural community and two officials from the Ministry of Education and Training purposively were selected in Lesotho and participated in this study. Focus group discussions and one-on-one semi-structured interviews were used as instruments for data collection. Thematic results showed that teachers’ inflexibility hindered the creation of an enabling environment in terms of infrastructure and poor allocation of resources, which were critical challenges to support LSEN in their daily teaching and learning activities. The results revealed that not enabling environments and the unavailability of relevant resources increase the number of dropouts in schools among LSEN. The results further revealed that the lack of pertinent training for regular teachers to help special education learners succeed effectively handicapped the education of LSEN in mainstream teaching and learning. Therefore, the study recommends that teachers be given continuous workshops by MoET and in-service training to fill the gaps in special education programmes and produce teachers who can be relevant in inclusive teaching and learning in Lesotho's primary mainstream schools, particularly rural schools.

Multisectoral practices supporting deaf learners’ academic performance at an inclusive school in Lesotho

Multisectoral practices supporting deaf learners’ academic performance at an inclusive school in Lesotho

Envisaged Learning Environments for Learners with Visual Impairments in Lesotho Rural Schools Using Asset-Based Approaches

Previous literature has highlighted the persistent global challenge of providing quality education in conducive settings for learners with visual impairments (LVIs), particularly in rural schools. This study aims to explore viable resources that can be leveraged to create an enabling learning environment for LVIs within rural primary school contexts. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study engaged 12 teachers from rural mainstream primary schools in Lesotho. Data were gathered through focus group discussions with a purposively selected sample of teachers and analyzed thematically. The findings underscored the perception among participants that rural schools possess a range of assets, both visible and concealed, that effectively cater to the special educational needs of LVIs. However, a notable limitation surfaced regarding the teachers' knowledge about utilizing these existing resources optimally. Consequently, this highlighted a crucial need for enhanced collaboration, involvement of relevant stakeholders, and augmentation of academic resources. The effective utilization of these assets emerges as a pivotal factor requiring improved management to cultivate a more conducive learning environment for LVIs in the future.

Teacher Perceptions on the Possibility of Integrating History and Citizenship in the Lesotho Curriculum: A Case of Three Secondary Schools

One of the key contemporary needs in education is to promote nationalism and national cohesion. Challenges confronting most developing countries include political instability, violence, voter apathy, and youth disintegration. Many regard the teaching of citizenship as a possible panacea to remedy these problems. Scholars have applauded the role of citizenship education in inculcating crucial values such as active citizenship, tolerance, and social cohesion. The Lesotho curriculum uses social science subjects, especially history, to address these challenges. Pursuant to repeated calls for the integration of history with citizenship in Lesotho schools in order to enhance history's thrust in achieving the task, this qualitative study adopted the case study design to purposively sample six history teachers, two from each of three secondary schools in the Maseru district. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis of the Education Sector Plan 2005-2015 and Education Sector Strategic Plan 2016-2026, Curriculum and Assessment Policy (CAP) 2009, Lesotho General Certificate of Secondary Education (LGCSE), and the Grade 8 Social Science Syllabus were relied upon for the collection of data. Our findings from this study show that teachers believe that the integration of history and citizenship can instil values of active citizenship, patriotism, political stability, and economic development to mention but a few. We therefore concluded that there are possibilities of integrating history with citizenship instead of leaving them as subjects independent from each other. We recommend that the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) should consider the integration ofhistory and citizenship into the curriculum.

Against the tide: Provision of psycho-social support to orphans in a rural primary school in Lesotho

Even before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Lesotho had a significant number of orphans. However, the pandemic has caused an increase in the number of orphans, as some children have lost 1 or both parents or caregivers. Many of these orphans are of school-going age, strategically placing schools to meet their psycho-social needs. With this study we aimed to achieve 2 objectives: firstly, to assess how 1 primary school in rural Lesotho provided psycho-social support to orphaned learners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and secondly, to determine how such support was beneficial to the orphans. We used the social-ecological model of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as a theoretical framework and collected data through interviews with 17 purposively selected participants, including 1 principal, 8 guardians and 8 teachers. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data collected. The study revealed that teachers provided food packages, lay counselling, and referrals to spiritual counsellors to support orphaned learners. While learners benefited from the school’s psycho-social services, limited resources and skills posed challenges. We recommend developing comprehensive policies to address the psycho-social support needs of orphans.

The “Integrated Curriculum” for Primary Schools in Lesotho: Where Is the ‘Integration’?

In the era of reforms, the text of curriculum policy and its supporting documents provide a blueprint that drives the teaching and learning processes in the new directions envisaged by policymakers. One dominant narrative within new curriculum policies is ‘integration.’ However, education systems have embraced this narrative without much unpacking of what it means for the agents and their extant practices. The dominant narrative in Lesotho’s ‘new’ curriculum suggests that it was designed to foster integration in the country’s primary schools. This study sought to uncover evidence of integration and or lack thereof through the deconstruction of this narrative and by unpacking the curriculum discourse and its implications for practice. The paper uses Derrida’s deconstruction theory to read and engage with the discourse on curriculum integration in these documents: Curriculum and Assessment Policy (2009), Guide to Continuous Assessment and Integrated Curriculum (Grade 1-7 syllabi). By deconstructing the integration narrative in these policy documents, the study's findings reveal contradictory messages about integration within the curriculum policy and its supporting documents. The policy advocates for a ‘holistic view and treatment of issues', yet the syllabi promote compartmentalisation of subjects. The policy also espouses different integration models within the new curriculum. Therefore, this paper argues that the contradictory messages and the unclear integration model followed can lead to multiple interpretations by the implementing agents, which ultimately cripples the implementation at the classroom level. This deconstruction and unpacking of discourse may contribute to scholarship, curriculum evaluation and policy implementation during educational reforms.

Utilizing Dimensions of Critical Literacy to Improve Active Learning in Teaching English Novels in Lesotho

English is the language of learning and teaching in many countries, as in Lesotho. This language has a curriculum, and one of its components includes reading English novels. Although English is accorded this prestigious status in Lesotho secondary schools, minimal effort has been made to address the improvement of learners’ reading skills of English novels. With this in mind, this theoretical paper focused on teachers’ use of Critical Literacy (CL) by highlighting some literature perspectives on traditional banking education and CL, the emerging relationship between CL and Active Learning (AL), and the dimensions of CL as enhancers. The methodology used in this article is derived from the experiences of the authors and three English teachers in Lesotho schools related to the dimensions of CL in the teaching of English novels (EN). The study concluded that CL should be re-visited and recognized to enable teachers to act as the driving force in teaching EN. Keywords: Critical literacy; Active learning, English novels, Dimensions.

Reviewing Teachers' Preparedness to Adopt and Implement the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy 2018 in Lesotho Schools

The launch of the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy (LIEP) in 2018 by the Ministry of Education and Training assured the participation of learners with special educational needs (LSEN) in the education system. The policy requires teachers to be the drivers of educational initiatives within the school setting to execute the implementation of the policy and assumes that teachers' use of constructivism-based practices would influence them to implement inclusive education. Informed by a critical paradigm and situated within qualitative research, this paper sought to assess teachers’ preparedness to adopt and implement the LIEP and how they have revised their practices to align with the policy aspirations. Data were generated through individual, semi-structured interviews with a purposively selected group of eight primary school teachers. The data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings reveal that teachers are unaware of the LIEP; they have not been sensitised about or trained on how the policy affects their educational practices. Additionally, teaching and learning resources to support diverse learners remain an obstacle to the full implementation of the policy. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education and Training facilitate teacher training and improve the infrastructure of schools to make them physically accessible. It is also recommended that a national study on reviewing teachers' preparedness to adopt and implement the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy 2018 in Lesotho Schools is required to inform implementation of the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy (LIEP) 2018 in mainstream schools.

In-service teachers’ training needs in Implementing Life Skills Education in Rural secondary schools in Lesotho

he teachers’ preparation in teaching and learning Life Skills Education is crucial in the education system in Lesotho. This study explores the teachers’ training needs in implementing Life Skills Education at rural secondary schools in Lesotho. The study adopted qualitative interpretivism and phenomenological research design. Eight LSE teachers and principals were chosen randomly from four schools. Telephonic semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The thematic results revealed that teachers were not trained to teach LSE and needed in-service courses. The findings yielded that the teaching and learning of LSE must be enhanced in secondary schools. Thus, it recommended that the Ministry of Education facilitate and broaden in-service training of LSE teachers and provide a framework for guiding the contents of LSE. The curriculum developers would find the research helpful as they reflect on the extent to which the objectives were achieved for the subject.

Exploring the understanding of enabling environment for Learners with Special Educational Needs in rural primary schools in Lesotho

Exploring the understanding of enabling environment for Learners with Special Educational Needs in rural primary schools in Lesotho

Preventing and reducing bullying in Lesotho Schools: Proposing Botho - Rational Emotive Behaviour Education amalgamation

Preventing and reducing bullying in Lesotho Schools: Proposing Botho - Rational Emotive Behaviour Education amalgamation

Challenges and perceptions in learning poetry in two Leribe high schools in Lesotho

Challenges and perceptions in learning poetry in two Leribe high schools in Lesotho

Teaching Mathematics at the Supplementary Schools in Lesotho: Teachers’ Perceived Benefits and Challenges

The study investigates the perceived benefits and challenges of mathematics teachers when teaching mathematics at supplementary schools in Lesotho. The participants were five teachers from a supplementary school in the Berea district. Data were collected through the use of semi-structured interviews guide. The Social Constructivism Theory was used as a lens through which data were thematically analysed. The study’s findings have revealed that the teachers at the supplementary schools are having benefits, including, content revision, reduced workloads, good results, as well as full focus and concentration in class. On the other hand, the teachers are faced with some challenges; for instance, the teachers travel too late or too early for classes; there is insufficient time for teaching, lack of resources, teachers’ high turnover, low salaries and misbehaviour amongst the students. The results have further indicated that there are more perceived challenges in teaching the supplementary classes as compared to perceived benefits.

Counting the costs: Exploring the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in rural schools in Lesotho

Pandemics leave long-term consequences in their wake. The Covid-19 pandemic reached catastrophic levels in Africa, similar to what it did in the rest of the world. Rural schools in developing countries, already reeling from extreme poverty and economic vulnerability, have borne the most severe brunt of the pandemic. In this study, we explore the effects of Covid-19 on rural schools in Lesotho using data from semi-structured online interviews with 10 rural-based teachers. We address two questions: "What are the effects of Covid-19 on rural schools in Lesotho?" and "What steps have been taken to mitigate the effects of Covid-19-induced school closures in Lesotho?" Findings show that enforced school closures meant to contain the spread of Covid-19 disrupted rural learners' lives. Innovations to mitigate the effects of the pandemic bridged the gap between the classroom and totally remote settings by introducing online education that, however, remains elusive for most rural learners.

Teachers’ Perceptions of School Readiness Among Grade 1 Learners in Lesotho Schools: The Case of Roma Valley

The study investigated teachers’ perceptions of school readiness among children who start Grade 1 in government primary schools in the Roma Valley in Lesotho. Compared to the privately owned schools, the three government schools from which teachers were recruited for this investigation had limited infrastructure, facilities, and resources. In addition, these schools practised static teaching and each had only one teacher who had experience of working with children who start formal schooling for the first time. In a way, the teachers who participated in this study were self-selective. A qualitative approach that used semi-structured interviews was used to explore the perceptions of these teachers. Data collected were analysed using a thematic approach. According to the teachers participating in this study, most children in Lesotho start formal schooling unprepared and without any foundational education background. They associated children’s lack of readiness among these children with a lack of foundational education. As a result, these children struggle to adapt to the school environment. These teachers further pointed out that factors such as age, disability, gender, and socio-economic background can influence the speed at which the children adapt to school life and culture. This study recommends that the government should find strategies that support the implementation and monitoring of a policy on children and foundational education. Further, there should be programmes that educate parents about foundation education and that support teachers to work with children who do not have a background of foundational education when they begin formal schooling.

A constructivist analysis of Grade 8 learners’ errors and misconceptions in simplifying mathematical algebraic expressions

Algebra is an important branch of mathematics which applies to many fields related to mathematics. However, many studies show algebra as posing problems even to the most gifted students. This phenomenon, therefore, necessitates more studies to be conducted in this area. As such, the study explored the types of errors that Grade 8 learners committed in simplifying algebraic expressions and the misconceptions that might have given rise to such errors. Ninety-five Grade 8 learners were selected as the subjects of the study at one high school in Lesotho. Within the framework of the Qualitative case study design, the study used tasks and interviews for data collection. The thematic approach to data analysis within the framework of the constructivist theory was adopted. The study identified most errors committed by the learners as persistent. Overgeneralizing the rules of prior knowledge to new knowledge, particularly in different contexts, was the most frequent cause of the errors. In addition to this was the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of correct meanings in the given context. Some of the identified errors overlapped with those in the reviewed literature while others did not.

Redefining Inclusive Religion Education in Lesotho Schools: A Colonial Discourse Analysis

In this article, I revisited the study conducted in 2017 on inclusive religious education in Lesotho. The point of the 2017 study was to figure out how participants perceive inclusive religious education. The Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training's inclusive education initiative piqued my curiosity. The findings were split into two categories. Firstly, it was discovered that religious education is commonly equated with Christian education. Secondly, inclusivity in religious education was defined as offering Christian instruction to all students, regardless of their religious affiliation. The previous study, however, could not provide a persuasive explanation for why religious education is equated to Christian education or why inclusive religious education is comparable to Christian education for all students, regardless of their religious views. I wanted to fill that vacuum in this essay by arguing for a new approach to inclusive religious education in Lesotho schools. I asserted that coloniality is a legitimate premise for believing that inclusive religion education means that all children should participate in Christian education learning. I also utilised (post)-colonial discourse analysis to support my claim. As a proposal, I suggested that inclusive religion education be defined in the context of decoloniality, which is a process of decentering and delinking from colonial thinking and action in order to embrace border thinking. Border thinking demands a new approach to inclusive religion education that is based on interculturality and pluriversality. Keywords: Colonial discourse, Coloniality, Decoloniality, Inclusive education, Orientalism, Religious education

School-based Psychosocial Support: Asset-based Approach for Positioning Guidance and Counselling as a Core Component

The necessity for school-based psychosocial support (SBPSS) provision has become a fundamental issue in global education systems. However, for many schools in Lesotho, and in other Sub-Saharan countries, there seem to be no clarity on the position of guidance and counselling (GC) in school psychosocial support (PSS) undertakings. This paper considers G/C as an essential component of psychosocial support provision in schools, and argues that G/C should be well positioned so that it becomes the core component of PSS activities. The paper intents to address issues raised by international research that against the backdrop of ever increasing complex societal challenges that impact negatively on school going population and school life in general, there is need strengthen G/C as part of PSS activities. The interplay of the various challenges often makes the adverse experiences more complex, subsequently causing adjustment disorders among students. Underpinned by asset-based approach and relational leadership theory, this study employed qualitative semi-structured questionnaires, online free attitude interviews and focus group discussions to explore teachers’ perspectives on possibilities for positioning GC as the core component of SBPSS. This study uncovered various factors contributing to undecided position of GC. The study concluded that schools need to tap into asset-based approach to strategically position GC in SBPSS undertakings.