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Lesotho by Matora Ntimo-Makara Introduction
The Kingdom of Lesotho, is a small enclave surrounded by the Republic of South Africa (RSA) with an area of 30,355 square kilometers (11,720 sq miles). Lesotho’s population is estimated to 2 million.History of Higher Education
The National University of Lesotho (NUL) was born out of the small Catholic University College (later known as Pius XII University College), which was founded in April 1945 by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy of Southern Africa In 1954, the college was granted associate college status by UNISA, giving it more responsibility for tuition and examinations. From the late 1950s well into the early 1960s, the college experienced very serious financial problems. By the early 1960s Pius XII College turned into a University of Basutoland, Bechuanaland Protectorate, and Swaziland (UBBS).UBBS came into being in 1964. At this time, the student body had grown to about 190 and was just about 20% female. With the 3 high commission territories’ attainment of independence in 1966, UBBS became the University of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland (UBLS). The tri-national character of UBLS disintegrated in 1975. The NUL was established as an independent entity on the Lesotho campus of the UBLS on October 20, 1975 and remains to be the only university in the country. It has also close to 20 other tertiary level public institutions and 15 private tertiary institutions.
Administration and Governance
NUL is governed by a council, made up of appointees of the head of state (who is also the chancellor) the senate, the congregation, the student union, non-academic staff, and external members with wide experience from universities outside Lesotho. The council is responsible for overall policy matters.The university’s day-to-day administration is handled by the top management, consisting of the vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, registrar, bursar, and university librarian, guided by the provisions of the Acts and Statutes. The university senate is responsible for academic policy and all academic matters. There is also representation from the affiliated tertiary institutions. At the faculty and institute levels, the deans and directors manage the respective units. They are elected into these positions on a rotating basis, and are assisted by the heads of departments and faculty tutors.
Enrollment
Overall university enrollments during the academic year 1999-2000, stood at well over 2,800 students. About 80% are full-time students, while 20% are part-timers. Basotho students constitute 94% of undergraduate students. Non-locals, mostly from other African countries account for about 6%.Overall, females comprise 56% of NUL’s enrollment. This trend is common across the undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Total enrollment for NTTC that year was 948, with a 73% female population, while 1,509 were enrolled in technical and vocational schools, of whom 43% were female.
Lesotho by Faculty and Gender (1997-98)Source: Adapted from 1997 education statistics. Faculty
NUL has a teaching staff of about 216. Non-Basotho staff make up 26% of this figure. Most of them come from other African countries. The staff turnover is very high, since people resign to seek more lucrative jobs with better salary packages in the private sector and in South Africa. Even the non-local staff stay a few years or months in Lesotho and pass on into South Africa.The academic staff-to-student ratio in some faculties is 1: 120.To ensure that their interests and general welfare are protected, university employees have organized themselves into 3 staff unions.
Financing and Resources
Higher education in Lesotho is substantially financed by the government. The university gets about 90% of its funds from the state. Private sector financial support to NUL is very limited. The NUL fee structure is very low compared to institutions in South Africa, where fees stand at 7 times as much.Private Higher Education
Lesotho has seen a significant growth of tertiary higher education in the recent years. Most of them are distance education institutions based mainly in South Africa. Currently enrollment in these institutions stands at around 700.A second category is composed of South African institutions that do not have agencies in Lesotho but are in direct contact with students who study part-time and go for block residential periods on the main South African campus.
Research and Publishing
The bulk of NUL’s research output comes from three institutes. The university’s budgeted research funds, disbursed by the Research and Conferences Committee, can be accessed by any member of staff who submits a solid proposal. The fact that this fund has never been exhausted in any given year is seen as an indication that staff members are not undertaking as much research as they could. To encourage publishing by its staff, NUL has helped establish several journals, some of which are departmental, faculty, and general university journals.The Institute for Southern African Studies (ISAS) operates a documentation and publishing unit. Staff or any interested persons can have their work published through ISAS.
Note: For detailed account on the state of higher education in Lesotho, please consult: Matora Ntimo-Makara, African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook (Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, eds., Indiana University Press, 2003), pp. 372-380.
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