00:06 The government of Lesotho is committed
00:08 to improving access to quality basic education
00:11 as a core strategy for the country's socio-economic development.
00:16 The government implemented the Basic Education Strengthening Project,
00:20 BESP,
00:21 from 2022 to February 2025.
00:25 BESP aimed to improve learner retention
00:29 and teaching quality in junior secondary schools,
00:32 in targeted community councils of Lesotho,
00:35 and support the roll-out of the new curriculum
00:38 to strengthen service delivery of early childhood care and development,
00:42 ECCD.
00:46 Nakayaka naki mogogoomohle
00:49 haholoonebahezi.
00:51 Kahakanetihli ilinneti
00:53 uh thabasabogonahahulohulumona habaseka
00:56 snalebo tatabo thabehang ba.
00:59 Baba nabastonkenaskolo.
01:02 You know,
01:02 morogono a best hore
01:06 ubetikanitti wabbeihlobikolohampi ikasana
01:10 lu performance siaafela dikullo.
01:13 Skonsikisibulets in Sasotho High School
01:17 Sefmanyanga era Mantsunya.
01:20 Nallabanabad went
01:22 bailing the beneficiaries are
01:24 abbayena.
01:27 Hape unalil the entire the element of retention
01:29 banebatrop autta
01:31 skulumbaniwale
01:32 atlala kalunasilumiberin formena primary wataraibe fellluwe
01:38 kota reyongu empire kamrawafue.
01:43 Moe uniforms
01:48 targeted cash transfers assisted families to address financial barriers to
01:53 secondary education grants were used to purchase school uniforms,
01:57 books,
01:58 and other school needs.
02:00 Nka the regular uniform ya sekayakayatlasitsuya and to sits a whole.
02:08 Kannitikilewa holobane lebatwa waka habana
02:12 bogobobukaloba twisa
02:14 opatalla skulufisiyapawazaskolo
02:17 mtwesengatazaskolo kanitebanalosego.
02:21 Mwana
02:21 ulaonsaho
02:23 baleko khlaskolo.
02:26 Banababa babuwalebona babuwalebona baba sibisabatubafa 1.5 year uniform.
02:33 BESP responded to the need to improve human capital development in Lesotho.
02:38 The Human Capital Index estimates for 2020 showed that a
02:43 child born in Lesotho would only be 40% as productive
02:46 when he or she grows up
02:48 as he or she could have been if she enjoyed complete education and full health.
02:55 The 2018 multiple indicator cluster survey
02:58 found that only 15% of children were developmentally on track
03:03 in the literacy numeracy domain.
03:06 Across basic education,
03:08 student retention remains a big challenge,
03:10 with many students dropping out of school before completing their education.
03:15 While primary school education is free in Lesotho,
03:18 there are still indirect costs related to
03:20 school attendance that households must pay,
03:23 such as transportation and school uniforms.
03:27 There was also a need to provide
03:28 structured and effective in-service training for teachers.
03:32 The project has benefited over 40,000 learners from the target areas,
03:37 exceeding the goal of 32,000.
03:40 The dropout rate between grade eight and nine decreased by 7.2%,
03:45 and female learners stayed in school at a greater rate than males.
03:49 Female learners had 5.2% less dropouts,
03:52 and males had 1.8% less.
03:56 754 ECCD teachers were trained on the new curriculum,
04:01 exceeding the 60% target of BESP.
04:05 Between 2023 and 2024,
04:08 literacy and numeracy skills in targeted ECCD centers and
04:13 reception classrooms increased by 14% and 13.6% respectively,
04:19 with minimal gender differences.
04:22 259 youth clubs established in 69 secondary schools
04:27 benefited 3,484 learners.
04:32 This labs focused on life skills,
04:34 health education,
04:35 and gender-based violence prevention.
04:39 Girls account for 68.5% of the membership.
04:44 When it comes to sustainability
04:46 measures.
04:48 Uh,
04:49 particularly the training of the mathematics and science teachers.
04:55 There was an engagement of local institutions like National
04:58 University of Lesotho and the Lesotho College of Education.
05:02 They were running this together with.
05:05 An institution which is outside this country,
05:08 University of Orange Free State.
05:09 It was the one which was leading,
05:11 but capacitating our own local institutions and going forward,
05:15 these two institutions will be able to run an online teacher training,
05:20 which is one of the big pluses from this project.
05:24 We have also integrated online teacher training within our
05:27 continuous professional development for teachers,
05:30 our growth.
05:31 Pre-primary GCCCD,
05:33 primary and
05:35 secondary
05:36 schools.
05:37 The project provided training for 222 math and science teachers from 69
05:43 secondary schools to improve their knowledge
05:45 and pedagogical skills in those subjects.
05:48 As a government,
05:50 going forward,
05:52 the intention is to sustain the gains that we
05:55 got
05:56 from these programs,
05:57 and
05:58 probably do more.
06:00 Uh,
06:00 to improve,
06:01 uh,
06:02 the education programs.
06:04 Secondly,
06:06 the successful implementation of a new project
06:10 is at the
06:11 forefront.
06:12 The new project is the Lesotho Education
06:15 Improvement Program.
06:17 And
06:18 we also wish to continue
06:21 strengthening our collaboration with
06:23 the World Bank Group
06:25 in this very important goal of strengthening
06:28 human capital development.
06:31 As the Minister of Finance
06:33 and Development Planning,
06:35 human capital development is one of
06:38 the key
06:39 objectives that we want to achieve,
06:42 and it is in our national strategic Development Plan.
06:46 Therefore,
06:47 it is incumbent upon us to continue to fund education
06:52 beyond what we are doing
06:54 currently.
06:55 And the World Bank Group,
06:56 with its its support,
06:58 has put us at a pedestal where
07:01 uh we have a launch pad
07:03 to continue to fund
07:05 education.
07:06 And human capital development in a better way,
07:09 so that it contributes positively to economic development.
07:13 The $7.1 million US dollar project
07:16 was funded by the Global Partnership for Education
07:19 and supported by the World Bank.
07:21 The project was implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training,
07:25 in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender,
07:28 Youth and Social Development.
07:30 Moving forward,
07:31 the government of Lesotho is implementing
07:34 the Lesotho Education Improvement Project.
07:37 This 5 year project aims to enhance the quality
07:40 of teaching and improve physical learning conditions in targeted primary
07:45 and secondary schools.
07:47 Teaching of foundational skills,
07:49 numeracy,
07:50 and literacy
07:51 from grade 1 to 3 will be improved by implementing a new and relevant curriculum.
07:57 National learning assessments in junior secondary schools will be conducted.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The Basic Education Strengthening Project directly benefited 40,569 learners. BESP reduced dropout rates at junior secondary level (Grade 8-9) in targeted community councils from 27% to 19.8% representing an overall reduction of 7.2%.
- Training was provided to 87% of secondary teachers in sciences and mathematics
- Literacy and numeracy skills in five-year-old children at ECCD centers increased by 14% and 13.6% respectively, with minimal gender differences.
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An atom once an abstract phenomenon to learners at the St. Barnabas School, is displayed on an interactive screen. Grade 8 students are actively adding blocks to the structure during Ms. Phamotsi class. As the lesson is through simulation and video, one enthusiastic learner is in front of the class while the other learners actively participate.
The visual display helps to assist the learners to grasp aspects that are complex in mathematics and science. To equip the teachers to use technology as they instruct the learners, the World Bank’s $7.1 million Lesotho Basic Education Strengthening Project (BESP) supported online trainings across the country to increase capacity and contribute to education outcomes. The project’s online program, developed in collaboration with the University of the Free State, enhanced teachers' pedagogical skills and demonstrated clearly the potential of technology-enabled professional development. The 222 teachers who participated received certification upon completion.
“I enjoyed the training that has given us as teachers a new experience in the classroom. Our learners are excited to attend our classes, and their understanding of difficult concepts has increased. On a personal level, the training has rejuvenated my love for teaching and helped me to improve my skills. I am appreciative of the role of technology in bridging the gap in the classroom,” says Ms. Phamotsi, Science Teacher.
Teachers received laptops and basic Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training to take online training courses at their own pace and they received continuous support by joining a WhatsApp group administered by the training implementation partners.
This group served as a peer learning platform to exchange lessons learned, best practices, and share questions and answers. Teachers who did not have electricity at school were provided with a portable solar panel to provide access. Each laptop was loaded with training content which the teachers will be able to continue using.
Early Childhood Care and Development
BESP, which closed in February 2025 after three years of implementation, aimed to improve student retention and teaching quality in junior secondary schools in targeted community councils of Lesotho. It also supported the roll out of a new curriculum to strengthen early childhood care and development (ECCD) service delivery.
“I am very happy to be using the new curriculum to design my lessons. This new curriculum, premised on learning and play, is helping to ensure that our learners start off their education on a solid foundation. With the previous curriculum (developed in 1988), it was hard to break down concepts,” says Ms. Matumo Maubelle, ECCD teacher at the Rasetimela School. When one enters her class of 28 they see the different booths that are used as learning corners such as literacy (English and Sesotho), life skills, and numeracy. These are set up to ensure that the learners develop mentally, socially, and physically and this helps them to successfully transition to the next stage of learning. Reception classes that are attached to public primary schools provide one year of free education for 5-year-olds before they transition to Grade 1. The project supported 352 reception classes and ECCD centers.
The project trained 81% of the 754 early childhood instructors and as a result, literacy among 5-year-olds increased from 71% to 85%, and numeracy from 63.6% to 77.2%, showing consistent improvements across genders.
Student retention in junior secondary schools
Many children from poor and rural households face significant barriers to staying in and completing school. Junior secondary education is not free and the burden of paying for education is disproportionately high for the poorest households, in terms of both direct and indirect costs. These economic challenges coupled with other issues contribute highly to drop-outs.
To mitigate this, BESP established 259 youth clubs in 69 secondary schools. The clubs were set up as a “safe space” to empower adolescent girls and boys and learn and enable them to make informed decisions-including about their schooling-by equipping them with relevant life-skills, information and knowledge including on reproductive health topics. The youth clubs also served as an important platform to raise adolescents’ awareness of Gender-Based Violence/Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (GBV/SEA) and the approaches to prevent, mitigate, and respond to GBV/SEA. Clubs also can refer adolescents to additional social services and support. Over 3,400 learners have benefited from them.
“Through the youth club I have gained confidence in myself, and I am now conversant in different life subjects such as mental health. We would break down these subjects in the clubs and this equipped me with life lessons,” says Moleboheng Morotoli, a Grade 11 learner at St. Barnabas Secondary School.The project recommends that the government should integrate the clubs into the school system to ensure long-term sustainability beyond the project.
The Child Grant Program was expanded through targeted cash transfers for the procurement of school uniforms, along with community awareness initiatives on the importance of secondary education. Through these interventions, the project significantly reduced student dropout rates from 27% in 2021 to 19.8% in 2025, surpassing the target of 22%.
Sustainability and plans
Ensuring that project’s impact is sustained is a high priority for the Government of Lesotho. “When it comes to sustainability measures, particularly the training of the mathematics and science teachers, there was an engagement of local institutions such as National University of Lesotho and Lesotho College of Education. We have also integrated online teacher training within our continuous professional development for teachers across pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools,” said Honourable Ntoi Rapapa, Minister of Education and Training.
While BESP (funded by the Global Partnership for Education) has closed, the World Bank remains active in education through the $20 million Lesotho Education Improvement Project (LEIP) which is supporting improvements to the quality of teaching and enhanced physical learning conditions in targeted primary and secondary schools.
“To sustain the gains, we will use lessons from BESP to successfully implement LEIP. As the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, human capital development is one of the key objectives and it is therefore incumbent on us to continue to fund education beyond what we do. We have been given a launchpad to continue to fund education in a better way so that it contributes to economic development,” said Honourable. Dr. Retselisitsoe Matlanyane, Mnister of Finance and Development Planning.
LEIP, which became effective in 2024, will support the construction of adequate infrastructure to accommodate growing student populations. This will entail the construction of classrooms, latrines, laboratories, and workshops and is set to benefit over 100,000 students across primary and secondary schools.
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