Lesotho

General Survey: There are very few preprimary or nursery schools in Lesotho and only one in Maseru. Near-ly all preprimary schools are privately operated. Consequently, only a very small percentage of children are enrolled.

While the Ministry of Education has authority over syllabuses and examinations, and the government aids individual schools, often by subsidizing the salaries of some of the teachers, most primary schools are operated by the missions of the three main religious churches. Influenced by the British colonial system, primary education, for which a tuition fee is charged and which is not compulsory, consists of seven levels called standards. Until the end of 1966, there was an eight-year primary system, beginning with Grades A and B and continuing through Standards 1-6. The seven-year primary school system was introduced in 1967. In 1980 only 12 percent of those who entered Standard 1 completed Standard 7. In 1990 only 14 percent of children who entered primary school proceeded to secondary education.

At the age of six or seven, children attend comprehensive, academically oriented schools and study a core of general education subjects. Sesotho is the medium of instruction in the early grades, and English is taught as a school subject. The transfer to English is made as soon as possible, during the third or fourth year of schooling, and definitely by the time students reach high school. Sesotho is then taught as a school subject. Other subjects taught are mathematics, science, and social science. Gardening, handiwork, needlework, physical training, art, music, handwriting, and religious knowledge are also offered.

Often there are much older children and even some adults in the elementary school classrooms. However, this circumstance is not as common as it used to be when Western style formal education was first introduced, and it is not generally regarded as a problem either by the students or the teachers.

At the completion of the seventh year of junior school, an exam prepared by the Department of Education is administered. The result of this exam is the most important criterion for admission into secondary education, or high school. However, because of the shortage of secondary school places, passing the Lesotho Primary School Leaving Certificate, does not guarantee admission into a high school. Only about one in seven or eight of the more than 113,000 students enrolled in primary school can go on to secondary school.

Urban & Rural Schools: Primary school teaching varies in the different areas and is largely dependent on the qualification and level of sophistication of the teachers. The latter will vary in the rural and in the urban areas. The acute shortage of teachers has of necessity led to the use of unqualified teachers.