Africa-Press – Lesotho. Network of Early Childhood Development of Lesotho (NECDOL) has pleaded with the government of Lesotho through the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) to invest in early
Childhood education, for the better, fruitful outcomes of the future generation. NECDOL National Coordinator Shoeshoe Mofokeng indicated that early childhood education was
implemented by the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Social Development and the MoET. She said under the MoET there is Early Childhood Care Development (ECCD)
unit that deals with facilitating children’s education at pre-primary level. She explained that it grooms them from 3 years to five and half years of age “reception” through monitoring ECCD Centres or
pre-schools as well as reception classes. Mofokeng told Informative Newspaper that when drawing up the national education budget, the government of Lesotho allots ECCD units less than one percent (1%) of the total
ministry’s budget, she said this is observed in lack of reception classes – those attached at free primary education schools – whereby teachers are paid by the
government. She highlighted that there are currently only 245 reception classes. She furthered that because of Covid-19 everything has shutdown, however, other private ECCD centres are
still operating through homework issuance to parents and guardians via social media platforms. She picked that those children’s parents are literate enough
to assist them and have all helpful devices to facilitate their education. “As for other children who are less fortunate it means they are not getting access
to education. One could say even primary and high school students have no access to education, but the difference here can be in investing in lower levels,” she noted.
She cited a theory by Helena Hercman 2000 that indicates that “for any society to be developed we have to start investing from early years of childhood”, she emphasised that the
government of Lesotho has to do something about the situation. Mofokeng hailed some of the programs that were played on radio Lesotho though she questioned why they ended.
“I don’t know why but again there was another program on “Open Sesame” that program could be played on
television and radio even if it is just for 30 minutes for the growth of children’s minds because even UNICEF with Early Moments Matter campaign they indicate that a humans brain develops
from zero to three years,” she said. Mofokeng furthered that Lesotho is dedicated to be investing in higher education and questioned how they are to prepare for tertiary level without foundation support.
She prolonged that it is very few numbers who benefit from free education at tertiary level because children drop out in between stages. Mofokeng said the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that talks about access to education, SDG 4.2 narrates that every child should have access to at least one year of free pre-primary education.
She contrasted that only 35% of children get free pre-primary education while others go straight to primary and feel burdened along the way, “later it is said they do not like school yet they did not get a chance for proper foundation”.
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