Lesotho : primary education project (PEP) (632-0225/0230) -- interim evaluation

The evaluation covered the period 3/91-4/92. The evaluation team encountered universal support for the policy changes being implemented under the program. Policies requiring support at the highest levels of the Government of Lesotho (GOL) have included an increase of more than 50% in the education budget, allocation of sufficient budgetary increases to primary education in order to implement the Education Sector Development Plan (ESDP), raising teachers' salaries to a par with the civil service, support for the Education Order of 1992, and reorganization of the administrative structure of the Ministry of Education (MOE). Still needed is sufficient GOL support to ensure that the empty positions in the new MOE structure are filled as expeditiously as possible. Mainly due to the disruption resulting from Lesotho's transition to democracy, the program is approximately one year behind schedule. The program should not be criticized or punished for this, but the country applauded for making the transition. Nonetheless, implementation of the ESDP and of the program should continue to be closely monitored by the MOE and the three main donors to ensure that it falls no further behind. Most of the systemic institution building policy objectives have been met, and activities are now centered on aspects that will directly affect the quality and efficiency of primary education in Lesotho. (1) The 70 District Resource Teachers are in place, and the design of the District Resource Centers to support their efforts is underway. (2) Considerable training of district education officers has taken place, and in-service training for 450 classroom teachers has been initiated. (3) Development of a new primary school curriculum and of texts, teachers' guides, and other materials by the National Curriculum Development Center is proceeding well. (4) Procurement of classroom furniture is on track, and construction has begun on a planned 850 classrooms to be funded by the International Development Agency and the European Union. On the negative side, the National Teacher Training College (NTTC), the only source of qualified teachers, suffers from a lack of leadership, and its output has dropped to the point where it can no longer keep up with attrition in the teacher force; as a result, more unqualified teachers are being hired each year and the force as a whole is becoming increasingly unqualified. The type and extent of support to the NTTC should be reviewed and actions developed to reverse this trend. Finally, it is important that the GOL remain focused on making effective the Education Order of 1992.