Education

Our Goal:

We want to see all children in Lesotho have the opportunity to receive a quality education.  We are working towards this by: 

  • Increasing children’s access to formal and non-formal education opportunities
  • Ensuring children who attend school are learning
  • Increasing the amount of engagement of parents, guardians, communities and volunteers in children’s education
What is the problem? 

Despite an increased number of children enrolling in primary education (now 91% nationally and 72% in areas where World Vision is working), many children are not learning the skills they need to succeed later in life—such as how to read—because of overcrowded classrooms, unprepared teachers and a lack of necessary learning materials. To make matters worse, only 48% of children between the ages of 3 and 5 have access to early childhood education opportunities. Finally, many girls lack access to necessary supplies to effectively deal with their menstruation once they reach puberty. As a result, many girls miss a significant amount of classes, often fall behind in class and eventually drop out of school.

How is World Vision addressing the issues? 

 We are working with the Ministry of Education and schools in Lesotho to train teachers in the Literacy Boost methodology, equipping them with skills and resources to make functional literacy a priority and a reality in their classrooms. We are also educating families about the importance of education because in many of the areas where we work child marriage and labour are often higher priorities. Finally, we are working with schools, families and communities to ensure adolescent girls have what they need (separate bathrooms and sanitary towels) to be able to continue their educations.

Is what World Vision doing working? 

Yes! We have seen a reduction in the number of children who are dropping out of school from 7% in (2015) to 3.8% in 2017. And, although there is much work to be done, we have seen an increase in the percentage of children who are able to read with comprehension by grade 3 in the areas where our Literacy Boost Methodology has been in place the longest. In these areas, where the programme was piloted, 32.9% of children can read with comprehension, a significant increase when compared to the national average of 13.5%. We are also happy to report an increase in parents (now 42% in 2017) who are actively involved in and supporting their children’s education, including the development of their literacy skills.

What’s the impact?*
  • 2,644 parents have received about the importance of education
  • 852 teachers were trained to use the Literacy Boost Methodology.
  • 55,155 children benefited from improved educational opportunities
  • 46,263 locally-relevant and developmentally appropriate reading materials developed and distributed
  • 45 reading camps established, where children can practice their reading skills 

*Numbers from 2016 and 2017

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