The Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (LEQEP) is a World Bank funded project that aims to promote inclusive growth by targeting low performing schools. The main objective of the project is to improve basic education service delivery and student retention in targeted schools. The project is intended to benefit the teachers and students in 312 primary schools and 65 secondary schools. Most schools covered in this project are situated in the remotest areas of Lesotho where residents rely solely on animal and crop farming.
The intended results for the project are increased teacher presence and attendance in targeted schools, improved teacher content knowledge, increased pass rates, and retention rates. This project is divided into three (3) components:
The design of LEQEP was not inclusive from the beginning, and many units within the Ministry of Education and Training were left out of the process, especially those representing marginalized groups. For example, the Special Education Unit did not feed in to the design of the project to develop a plan for how all children and youth with disabilities would be able to go to school and actually learn; the HIV/AIDS Unit was also not involved in designing the project and therefore does not have the means to reach out to learners infected and affected by HIV/AIDS to identify ways in which they can attend school regularly. This has resulted in many children and youth with disabilities remaining out of school, children and youth with disabilities physically present in the classroom but without the necessary supports to actually learn, and children and youth with HIV/AIDS dropping out of school due to sickness or having to travel long distances to get their medication during school time. All units within the Ministry of Education and Training, as well as other ministries that overlap with education, such as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Works, must be involved in the design of education projects so that they are inclusive and address the full education system.
A lack of teachers and unqualified teachers remain a significant problem in Lesotho which contributes to the high dropout rates in targeted schools. Teachers have also not been trained on the new curriculum which hinders quality education and has led to teacher strikes that have significantly disrupted school attendance. There must be a significant focus on teacher training, including how to teach students with disabilities, as a way to reduce dropout rates and move toward quality education.
A key piece of LEQEP is the School Improvement Plans (SIPs) which are a way to help solve problems around school attendance and low pass rates by involving the community to identify targeted ways to reduce dropout rates and increase retention rates. However, the community does not feel that the SIP grants are enough to cover the immense needs at the school including water scarcity, electricity, lack of doors on latrines, general school maintenance, and fencing. Most schools focused on physical infrastructure as opposed to learning materials. While the community does have concerns about the SIPs, the administration and the community felt that the SIP had made a significant difference in reducing dropout rates. The SIP facilitators have been a major force in educating the community about the importance of education and have advocated that things like initiation schools should not happen during the school year. It is imperative that the SIP facilitators continue their roles bridging the gaps between the Ministry of Education, the community, and the school throughout the life of LEQEP and that this role does not revert to the district resource teachers.
Finally, as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns, schools closed and students slipped even further behind. The Ministry of Education and Training tried to establish distance learning on the TV and radio in 2020, but the majority of those who needed the distance learning do not have access to a TV or radio and therefore were unable to continue their studies. The Ministry of Education and Training does not have a clear vision for how to bring kids back into school, how kids advance from one grade to another, and how teachers should resume in-person learning. It is imperative that the Bank works with the Ministry and civil society to develop a plan for how to bring children and youth back to school safely and how to address the learning gap that has resulted from COVID-19.
LEQEP is financed by the World Bank. The total project cost is US$ 25.00 million.
As a key component of the LEQEP is to prevent dropouts, the Bank needs to work with the government of Lesotho to figure out how to bring kids back in school. The Bank has prioritized the setup of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities at schools to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. While this is very important, it is too small to adequately address the education problems in Lesotho. The Bank must work with the Ministry and civil society to develop a plan for how to bring children and youth back to school safely and how to address the learning gap that has resulted from COVID-19.
BIC has worked with the Lesotho National Federation of Organizations of the Disabled (LNFOD) to identify how children, youth, students, parents, and teachers are impacted by the project.
FINAL Lesotho Interim Report March 2018(Lesotho National Federation of Organizations of the Disabled)
http://www.lnfod.org.ls(Lesotho National Federation of Organizations of the Disabled)
