People & Culture

Education

Lesotho follows the British education system. Children spend 7 years in primary school, with Sesotho the medium of instruction. English is supposed to be learnt in the final years to prepare students going on to high school where English is the medium of instruction. Three years of secondary school culminates in the Junior Certificate, with the best candidates going on to spend a further two years doing Cambridge '0, levels. With many boys spending years as shepherds, there are generally more girls than boys at school, and often the boys are older.

Most schools in the country are connected to missions. Missionaries started arriving in the country in the early 1800's and some were close advisors of King Moshoeshoe. French missionaries were the first to transcribe Sesotho. The Roman Catholic Church is very influential as are the Lesotho Evangelical church and the Anglican church.

Almost every mission has a school attached. University and college entrance is based on '0' level results. The country has one university, the Lesotho National University in Roma. Originally the university catered for students from Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. The three countries were all British protectorates and were administered very similarly, particularly in terms of education. Today Botswana and Swaziland have their own universities. There is a Polytechnic in Maseru.

The education system means that some Basotho speak English. In the rural areas, however, older people do not usually speak English and neither do those who did not reach high school. Travellers will find a smattering of Sesotho worth learning.

Primary School dc-img_1261- School dd01-pre-primary---obbe-de-.jpg Pre School dd-dscn1838.jpg