The slides provide an overview of Lesotho's higher education system.

1. An overview of Higher
Education System in
Lesotho
Tankiso Lekhoana

2. Background
of the
educational
system in
Lesotho
• There are broadly three stages of school education in Lesotho.
• 1st stage: Primary education - free (from 2000 ) and
compulsory in 2010
 Ranges from grade 1 -7, compulsory only between the ages
of 6 and 13
• 2nd stage: Secondary education
 Lower (grade 8-10) and upper Secondary (grade 11-12).
 Students obtain LGCSE after the completion of Grade 12.
 Grants students access to tertiary programs.
 Currently piloting for LGCSE AS-Certificate
 Proposed Future Adjustments
o LGCSE provides access to college and polytechnic admission
o LGCSE AS-Certificate provides access to university admission.

3. Background
of the
educational
system in
Lesotho
• Informal education provided through technical and vocational
schools
 address the educational needs for those who are unable to
attend education through formal means
• Management of the schools - largely in the hands of the main
missions.
• Minister of Education -responsible for determination of curricula and
syllabuses
• NCDC - responsible for developing syllabus & educational materials
• 3rd stage: higher education.
 Main goal: provision of basic training, leading to improved
production of high-level manpower.

4. Landscape of
Higher
Education in
Lesotho:
Public and
Private
Providers
• Higher education- provided through a number of institutions with different
institutional arrangements.
• 15 institutions recognised by CHE and the Government of Lesotho.
 publicly-funded institutions,
 autonomous higher education institutions,
 college-level institutions constituted as departments of government
ministries,
 denominationally-owned and -administered schools/colleges of nursing
(CHAL)
 church-run seminaries/colleges of theology,
 private entity operating as the local campus of an international university
and
 Inter-governmental institute that operates on commercial lines.
• National University of Lesotho (NUL) -highest public funded academic institution
 offers a wide range of programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate
levels.

5. Landscape of
Higher
Education in
Lesotho:
Regulatory
Framework
• Higher education - regulated under legal framework - Higher
Education Act (HEA) of 2004.
• This act requires
 public and private institutions should register with MoET,
 seeks the establishment of Council on Higher Education
(CHE)
 provides guidelines on governance and funding of public
institutions in the sub sector.

6. Landscape
of Higher
Education
in Lesotho:
Regulatory
Framework
• CHE - main functional body regulating higher education in Lesotho.
• Overall mandate - to promote quality assurance across higher education
institutions in Lesotho.
• The first Council was inaugurated in 2008 and the CHE Secretariat came
into operation in 2010,
• CHE responsibilities:
 Publish information regarding developments in higher education on
a regular basis,
 Promote the access of students to higher education institutions,
 Monitor and evaluate the performance of academic programmes and
higher education institutions,
 Monitor implementation of the Act and the Higher Education Policy.
 Collect, analyse and compile reports on higher education.

7. Landscape
of Higher
Education in
Lesotho:
Qualification
Framework
(LQF)
• Covers qualifications at all levels and sub-sectors.
• Based on a 1-10 Level structure and credit value based on
notional learning hours.
• Level 1 - most basic and is an initial stage
 Prepare learners of any age for future learning and/or
work.
 Carries a minimum of 120 credits learning load for a
qualification
 provides basic knowledge and skills for initial work and
further learning.
• Level 10 - Doctoral qualification and carries 360 credits.
 Application of substantial body of knowledge, to
 Create knowledge provide novel solutions to intractable
societal problems.

8. Landscape of
Higher Education
in Lesotho:
Qualification
Framework (LQF)

9. Observations
• Massification in higher education – in admission of some qualified students
• MoET and MoP, should budget for a larger number of students
 Those who have benefited should repay their loans
 Establishment of more institutions.
 Re-designing of curriculum and
 Development of new innovative programs.
• Another observation - growing number of franchise institutions in Lesotho.
 Other issues- lack of financial resources, academic staff workload, out-of-
context content, and preserving educational quality.
• Lack of financial resources is also a problem for CHE, resulting in a delayed
progress of its responsibilities.

10. Conclusion
• The educational system of Lesotho is improving at all levels.
• Achievements include
 provision of free primary education which improved literacy and higher education enrollment;
 introduction of the AS-level qualification, students to be admitted directly in the local and international
universities;
 establishment of CHE, and the implementation of the LQF which is aligned with regional (SADC) and
international qualification systems.
• Challenge – declining government funding for public institutions and CHE.
• Suggestion: government to match the proposed budget and support the institutions by attracting investment from
other streams.

11. References
1. Council on Higher Education (2022) LQF. Available at: https://www.che.ac.ls/lqf/ (Accessed: 10 June
2022)
2. Council on Higher Education (2022) Higher Education Policy Documents. Available at:
https://www.che.ac.ls/higher-education-policy-documents/ (Accessed: 10 June 2022)
3. Government of Lesotho (2022) Education. Available at: https://www.gov.ls/lesotho-education/ (Accessed:
10 June 2022)
4. World Data on Education (2006) Lesotho. Available at:
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/sites/default/files/Lesotho.pdf (Accessed: 10 June 2022)