The literature has shown that the traditional way of assessment which is paper-pencil tests and/or examinations has always been the most dominant and trusted form of assessment. This study investigated assessment practices of Zenon high school teachers in Lesotho. Assessment practices investigated by this study are of teachers from all subjects taught at the above-mentioned school. The study has been based on formative and summative assessment concepts. To answer one overarching research question, a case study approach has been used. Questionnaires were administered to 28 teachers in one school. Teachers' assessment documents and learners' exercise books were analyzed. The data collected were analyzed by means of tables and graphs. The findings from 14 teachers revealed that teachers use various assessment techniques to assess learners, but the most dominant form of assessment employed by teachers in all nine subjects is traditional paper-pencil tests/examinations. Teachers use traditional tests/examinations because they are convinced that it is the best way through which they can discover how learners have acquired what they have been taught. Alternative assessments or assessment techniques that require time to complete like practical projects etc are rarely used by teachers. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

Most of the arable land in the lowlands of Lesotho including Maputsoe is under infrastructural development of residential settlements, large scale industries, roads and slum settlements which includes shacks and roadside spaza shops. These settlements have large human populations that derive their livelihood through wide range of activities. These activities comprised of subsistence agriculture in the form of crop production, livestock and vegetable production, formal work in both primary and secondary labour market, informal work such as niche markets in the service sector, petty commodity production and others. This thesis attempts to shed light on the impact of urban development on household livelihood strategies in the lowlands of Lesotho with specific focus to Maputsoe town. Although literature review indicates livelihood and urbanisation as two broad subjects that need special research on their own, the aim of this research focuses on impact of urbanisation on livelihood strategies. To achieve this the study looks at the activities entitled to households to generate livelihood as well as social and economic characteristics determining household livelihood strategies. To determine whether urban development has an effect to household livelihood strategies, the study compares household livelihood strategies in urban household sample (Maputsoe) to rural household sample (Fobane). The basis for choosing these two settlements was based on the understanding that household perceptions and opinions on impact of urbanisation on livelihoods will be different since Maputsoe is located in urban and Fobane in the rural area. To gather household perceptions, survey was conducted in both urban and rural area. Survey questions were formulated so as to determine factors affecting livelihood strategies as well as activities entitled to households to generate livelihood strategies. The analysis of results suggests three mam points influencing household livelihood strategies (they include household characteristics and social structure among both urban and rural households in the sample. They further include opportunities to employment among urban and rural households in a sample as well household assets among both urban and rural households. They show that both two samples are liable to less diverse livelihood strategies but due to conducieve environment favouring urban location. Maputsoe narrowly has more livelihood strategies per household than did Fobane. The results further prove the contention that urban development is likely to affect household livelihood strategies negatively or positively. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Research was conducted in three study sites in Lesotho, and the fourth, which was used on comparative basis, was in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study was suitable for Lesotho as it is a small country with very limited natural resources. Lesotho's weak economy, exacerbated by the increasing population, needs concerted efforts to redress its socio-economic problems. This study is one of such efforts to explore the potentials of the indigenous forests with the aim of addressing wood demands. Celtis africana is one of the species with a proven record in Lesotho to have been a well adapted, resourceful timber tree in the past. Over-exploitation has degenerated it to its brink of extinction. It is against this background that this research was conducted with the aim of restoring Celtis africana to its original status in Lesotho. The results revealed that due to climatic conditions, seeds from Kwazulu-Natal are heavier than those from localities in Lesotho. However, wood densities from study sites in Lesotho are higher than those of KwaZulu-Natal. Pre-treatment method of manual scarification showed the best outcomes in terms of germination percent and vigour while the control was the last. The diverse nature of Celtis africana allows it to survive and prosper in a wide and varying range of habitats. Its pliable and adaptive characters are manifested by its ability to adapt in novel environments. Under ideal warm and moist conditions Celtis africana keeps its foliage all the year round, but in dry or abnormally cold years it becomes a deciduous tree. Though it is distributed in a variety of habitats, Celtis africana prefers moist habitats. It also demonstrates greater "affinities" for the carbonates in the soils, in particular, calcium carbonate (CaC03) and dolomite (CaMgC03). More research and determined reforestation programmes are required in order to improve the status of Celtis africana in Lesotho. Its natural existence in Lesotho can curtail expense of provenance identification. Both extension strategies and silvicultural operations, which can assist in tree improvement, should be adopted. Social benefits which, are rendered by Celtis africana in South Africa, can be emulated and adopted in Lesotho. Other than being an admired and valuable recreational tree (planted in parks and in the homesteads), it is a protected tree in South Africa. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This study is an evaluation of the implementation of change processes in the Lesotho Civil Service, Ministry of the Public Service (MPS). A qualitative method was used where an exploratory study was conducted by drawing a case study to evaluate the change implementation process in the organisation. In enabling the researcher to conduct a more focussed study, only five factors that have an impact on the successful implementation of change were considered. The factors were namely: forces for change; managing and leading change; building the desired culture; resistance to change and errors common to organisational change. The relevant information for the case study was obtained mainly from interviews and questionnaires. The pattern matching technique was performed on the case study, whereby the way change was implemented in the Lesotho Civil service was compared to that suggested by the literature. Fifty questionnaires were administered to fifty employees in the Ministry of the Public Service. Finally an evaluation based on the responses of the respondents, what actually happened and that which the literature suggests were evaluated interdependently. Based on this evaluation, it was found that, there were forces for change in the organisation, but management did not communicate with the employees as to the need for change and how it was to be implemented. Employees were never involved or asked to participate in the planning process of the change. Management in the organisation did not take all aspects into account when planning for change as suggested by the literature and all these aspects need to be improved upon by the leaders in the organisation. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

In Lesotho, climate change adaptation funding is being managed and distributed by the same mechanisms which have traditionally operationalized humanitarian aid and international development assistance in the country. Lessons from the HIV/AIDS disaster, along with insights into the value of participatory approaches foregrounding the expertise of indigenous communities, must be heeded in order to ensure that those most affected by climate change have a say in how adaptation is carried out. This paper proposes that indigenous people have developed and actively maintained resilience strategies, encoded in social practices and farming techniques, designed out of long experience with climatic variability. Through case studies, indigenous resilience strategies are explored, with emphasis on the anarchistic, improvisational nature of traditional ecological knowledge. Future directions for policy makers and practitioners dealing with climate change adaptation are suggested, namely the need to foreground indigenous knowledge and the experiences of frontlines experts in key policy arenas.

Lesotho Revenue Authority became operational in January 2003, when introducing the Authority the main aim was to increase revenue effectively through acquisition of skilled staff, increase integrity and effective use of automated systems. However, it seems that some of the systems that the department employs to collect revenue are not effective. There are no legal frameworks in place to ensure that regulations are enforceable. Performance appraisal is not practiced. There is no adequate publicity to make taxpayers aware of tax policies and compliance. This paper examines the effectiveness of tax collection system at customs and excise. This study is a qualitative case study approach. Most of the primary data will be collected from the use of open ended questionnaires and in-depth interview schedules which make an allowance to a greater internal between the researcher and the interviewee. A sample of 50 employees was used with the objective that employees were chosen on the basis of knowledge of the organisation and therefore purposive sampling was used. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse data and it included frequency distribution whereby the responses were presented in a tabular form and bar charts. The research findings revealed that department of Customs and Excise does not have an effective system for its collection of tax. Their administration is very poor performance appraisal is not practiced and there is not enough publicity on tax policies and compliance. In order to improve the effectiveness of the system, Customs and Excise should consider setting new policies and regulations which are in line with their current operation. Performance appraisal and reward system should also be taken into consideration to improve efficiency among the employees and lastly the use of different radio stations should be considered as awareness campaign on tax policies and compliance. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 1991. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-91).

Thesis (doctoral)--Stockholm School of Economics, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references.

The main purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between students' achievement in mathematics and teachers' background, professional development and teaching practices. A self report instrument - Mathematics Teaching Opinionate Scale (MaTOS) was used to collect data from Form C (Grade 10) mathematics teachers in the Maseru District in Lesotho, Southern Africa. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted for the study in the selection of participants screened on the basis of type of ownership of schools. The simple random format was subsequently utilized to pick 40 teachers on the basis of school population. Out of the total participants of 40 teachers, 18 (45.0%) were males while 22(55.0%) were female. Simple correlation and regression statistics at the 0.01 and 0.05 significance levels were utilized for data analysis. Findings indicated a significant positive relationship between students' academic achievement in mathematics and teachers' background (i.e. teachers' qualifications, subject majors and years of experience especially from six years of teaching) with r = 0.552, P < 0.01. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that teachers' qualifications (&#946; = 0.77, P < 0.05), subject majors (&#946; = 0.35, P < 0.05) and experience (&#946; = 0.16, P < 0.05) were predictors of students' achievement in mathematics [F(3,39) = 4.321; P < 0.05)]. The findings therefore suggest that if all mathematics teachers have a degree, are specialized in mathematics or mathematics education and have more than five years teaching experience the students' achievement in mathematics would likely improve. / MATH, SCIENCE and TECH EDU / MSC (MATHS,SCIENCE OR T/EDU)

This dissertation reconstructs a history of the greater Qacha’s Nek district of Lesotho, southern Africa from 1880 when farmers first settled the area, until 1965 on the eve of independence from Great Britain. This place-based study speaks to broader questions. How have people incorporated new and often foreign ideas into existing beliefs and practices? How did a person’s social position affect how they interacted with new ideas? How have people applied knowledge to make and remake environments such as in gardens and fields? This study is based on field research in Lesotho, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The author examined archival materials including colonial records, agricultural reports and surveys, national council proceedings, and vernacular newspapers. During four months of rural fieldwork in Lesotho the author collected oral histories, took photographs, and participated in village life. The approach focuses on colonial government interventions into agriculture and pastoralism. These interventions serve as sites for examining historical changes in how Basotho people engaged with the non-human world. In so doing, the study makes three main interventions. First, the claims are situated within scholarly conversations about local knowledge, science, and environment under colonialism. Second, the stories of chiefs, farmers, and government employees told here extend the literature on Lesotho’s political and economic history by highlighting the nuance of local politics, ecology, and agency. Finally, to contribute to the environmental historiography on Africa and rural places in general, the study probes the interplay of culture and nature. To do this, it narrates how people deployed eclectic knowledge to build, rebuild, and redefine environments. The dissertation argues that the compilation of environmental knowledge must be understood as a historical process that encapsulates the meanings that people have imbued the landscape with, for example, by building homesteads, along with how people have understood the landscape as a system of resources to be used economically for subsistence and market purposes. These aspects of knowing are part of a single process that has unfolded, and continues to unfold, along a temporal trajectory that has varied across different social groups, such as men and women and chiefs and commoners.