Teachers join voices condemning Budget estimates
LINEO MALATALIANA
MASERU – Teacher forums have joined voices that reacted negatively to the budget allocations by finance minister Dr Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane last week. Lesotho Teachers Association Secretary General, Letsatsi Ntsibulane, views the budget allocation in a negating light saying the budget allocation for education although huge does not answer the question of quality education for future Lesotho.
“The budget talks to the very painful truth that we do not take education in as a priority.” In Ntsibulane’s view, the government’s education focus does not grow creativity and innovations that will benefit Lesotho. Ntsibulane is more concerned about the ever-changing curriculum in Lesotho which he said requires robust thinking and adaptability to achieve lasting benefit.
“We are in a time when the changing of the curriculum requires
more investment. Looking at the education allocation in isolation is a waste of money. We are injecting money into the same curriculum that yields no fruits,” Ntsibulane said.
The LAT wants to have a sit down with government to formulate the kind of education the country needs and then set budget allocations based on growing a rich education system. Although teachers whine, the biggest slice of the 2025/26 Budget estimates has gone to education where Matlanyane gave a whooping M3.3 billion M500 million more than last year.
Matlanyane said “this is an investment in building human capital and fostering innovation and ensuring long-term sustainable development”. “The government is committed to accelerating the digitalization of pre-primary, primary, and secondary education. We have already built the capacity of 400 teachers to conduct classroom sessions using digital platforms,” Matlanyane said. The budget also stipulates the government’s continued commitment to construct inclusive educational facilities, including classrooms and age appropriate toilets, and also procure furniture for students and teachers.
The government is expanding on the vocational education and training landscape. The country is adapting the three tier-implementing model, which includes Academic, Technical and Vocational education streams having commenced the piloting of the Lesotho Advanced Secondary Certificate (LASC) at secondary level.
With an increase of M500 million from M2.8 billion allocation in the 2024/2025 fiscal year the current budget allocation aims to improve the educational landscape. The Demographic and Health Survey Report 2023/2024 shows growth in literacy. “In Lesotho, 1 percent of women and 5 percent of men 15 – 49 have no education. Seventy-five percent of women and 59 percent of men have completed secondary education or higher. Nearly all (98 percent) women and 89 percent of men are literate,” the report reads.
Matlanyane revealed that the Loan Bursary Fund (LBF) through National Manpower Directorate is undergoing reforms aimed at sustaining the country’s human capital development investment which entails the transforming the financing model of bursaries for sustainability, opting to improve access and quality through equity-based means-testing award model.
Reflecting on the budget allocations education minister, Professor Ntoi Rapapa, was upbeat the ministry will achieve more.
He said the ministry would be directing some of the funds into early childhood development emphasising the importance of education at the foundation stage.
The minister said that they are working towards introducing the reception class in every primary school.
“We have equipment from the Roger Federer Foundation that needs to be supplemented so that it can be used in teaching aids. The primary feeding scheme is very essential and the budget increase accommodates the initiative,” Rapapa said.
He indicated that poor nutrition and low weight are one of the key contributors to low school attendance.
“The Semonkong, Thaba-Tseka and Mokhotlong feeding schemes seem to have improved after they were reported for poor nutrition earlier,” Rapapa said.
Teaching aids for free primary learners will be procured in this budget and the government will continue to hire teachers to fill in the gaps.
“We are going to build approximately 50 to 60 schools mainly through the World Bank. These were schools that were previously selected,” the minister expounded.
Rapapa revealed that the United Nations Development Programme will be launching the Unipod initiative. This project, the minister said, will be beneficial to tertiary students in enhancing innovation and improving their ideas.
Unipod was launched this week at Lerotholi Polytechnic.
Lastly, the minister said that part of the budget will be used to relieve tertiary institutions in the country.
