Free education in 2030
SELINA MATSIE
LERIBE – Plans are afoot to introduce free education at both primary and secondary level in a decade to stem the school drop-out rate.
This is according to World Vision Education on Child Champion, Her Majesty Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso.
She said this on Friday at World Vision International Literacy Day celebrations at Nkopa Primary school in Leribe district.
“Literacy comprises multilingualism which is embracing the linguistic diversity in education and literacy development. Those are central to addressing literacy challenges and achieving the multi-linguistic compact.
“Lesotho is one of the countries making concerted efforts in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, to work towards the attainment of sustainable development goals by the year 2030, of which literacy and quality education are part.”
The first is World Vision Lesotho National Director – Pauline Okumu gives an award to one of the children nominated as the best for reading with comprehension.
World Vision Lesotho Chapter Director Pauline Okumu said statistics released in 2018 indicated that only 45.8 percent of students complete primary school.
In 2018, the number of dropouts was 14.9 percent compared to 4.9 percent in 2019.
“This indicates that there is a huge difference between the years and we hope for more positive results in the coming years. World Vision also work in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in training teachers for better results of children,” Okumu said.
“It is on this (literacy) day that we check the state of the education system in Lesotho and ascertain which areas need attention, such as where there are negative outcomes,” Okumu said.
“It is every child’s right to be educated and parents’ responsibility to see to it that they get quality education.”
Okumu also congratulated the government for “investing more on children’s education”.
“The main duty of the World Vision is to ensure that students learn in an environment that is conducive,” Okumu said.
World Vision donated a kitchen to Nkopa Primary School which was officially opened by the Queen.