The dependency of educators in Lesotho on externally developed curriculum theories and concepts is fundamental to issues of relevance of the school curricula. This study set out to develop the meaning of environmental literacy in the context of three secondary schools and to explore appropriate teaching methods for the development of this concept in the science curriculum. The participatory action research process involved a team of four science teachers, including the researcher, in partnership with an environmental centre. We progressively developed the meamng of environmental literacy by monitoring teaching innovations in the classroom, holding meetings and workshops and attending conferences where we shared classroom findings and reflected on our emerging understandings based on classroom experiences. Data collection involved: audio-recording of classroom lessons, interviews with teachers and students, audio-visual recording, classroom observations and students' questionnaires. The research process made apparent the complex nature of the process of clarifying and developing environmental literacy in this context. Classroom actiyities planned to inform the team's understanding of the meaning of environmental literacy and develop appropriate teaching methods encountered constraints associated with the education system and the legacy of colonialism. These contextual constraints crystallised the need for the education system to be transformed in order to make schools more conducive environments for the gevelopment of students' environmental literacy. While initially teachers were reluctant to engage in critical reflection, the research process did encourage the team to revise and expand their understandings of both environmental literacy in the science classroom, and the action research itself. The emerging meaning of environmental literacy in this context and how it may be developed among students does not involve a definition with prescriptive, effective teaching methods, but provides insights and understandings gained by the participants in their engagement with a reflective process of reconslructing meaning. I have come to understand environmental literacy during the study to be a process that should draw strongly on the local knowledge and understandings into the science curriculum, through participatory process-based curriculum development models.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The purpose of this study was to investigate the epistemological obstacles that mathematics students at undergraduate level encounter in coming to understand the limit concept. The role played by language and symbolism in understanding the limit concept was also investigated. A group of mathematics students at undergraduate level at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) was used as the sample for the study. Empirical data were collected by using interviews and questionnaires. These data were analysed using both the APOS framework and a semiotic perspective. Within the APOS framework, the pieces of knowledge that have to be constructed in coming to understand the limit concept are actions, processes and objects. Actions are interiorised into processes and processes are encapsulated into objects. The conceptual structure is called a schema. In investigating the idea of limit within the context of a function some main epistemological obstacles that were encountered when actions were interiorised into processes are over-generalising and taking the limit value as the function value. For example, in finding the limit value L for f(x) as x tends to 0, 46 subjects out of 251 subjects said that they would calculate f(0) as the limit value. This method is appropriate for calculating the limit values for continuous functions. However, in this case, the method is generalised to all the functions. When these subjects encounter situations in which the functional value is equal to the limit value, they take the two to be the same. However, the two are different entities conceptually. / South Africa

Risk management (RM) is a knowledge area in project management (PM). The challenges of project complexity require astute RM. However, RM practices in Lesotho appear to lag behind international trends. Within the sub-Sahara African region, RM incompetence affects timely delivery of public projects owing to PM practices that do not address risks. This study, which adopts a case study approach, unravels the „how and why‟ of contemporary RM practices which are lacking in Lesotho, despite a poor record of project success in the construction industry. Through the reviewed literature and primary data collection, this study investigates three elements in order to determine the level of RM practice within Lesotho public sector construction projects. These elements were the basis of RM, the RM processes, and the peoples‟ perceptions which were essentially centred on the probability of risk and the impact thereof. The results from the study achieved through cross-case synthesis show that the level of RM practice in the Lesotho public sector construction projects is at variance with international practice. The notable gaps in practice include construction professionals who do not know about or who have not practiced project RM. The study thus propose that the Government of Lesotho (GoL) should invest in educating more people in the areas of construction project management or engage professionals with extensive project RM experience. The recommended initiatives should promote professionalism and accountability that are essential for bracing the RM practice in public sector construction projects.

Bibliography: leaves 55-60. / The primary aim of this study is to investigate the Lesotho Education Ministry textbook distribution policy in order to * understand the relationship between equity and efficiency in textbook distribution policy and practice * investigate whether there is differentiation between urban and rural schools in textbook distribution policy and practice. The study examined policy and practice at the level of the Ministry of education as implemented by the School Supply Unit, and at the level of the school. The study took the form of a case study. First, official documents were analysed to develop an account of the textbook provision scheme, its origins, objectives, form and content. Secondly, interviews and a questionnaire provided participants views, attitudes, perspectives, expectations and experiences in relation to the scheme. Finally, an inventory of books and an analysis of order and inventory forms supplied evidence of what books were actually available in the schools. This was sometimes but not always, motivated by the desire to effect equity. On the whole, the outcomes of the textbook distribution scheme were found to be fairly equitable. This can be explained with reference to * the fact that up to a point improved efficiency also brought improved equity * the ad hoc adaptations of policy in practice by officials and school staff and * the efforts of the rural based school parent community to take full advantage of the scheme.

The study focuses and explores citizen participation in the policy and planning process in local government in Lesotho. The study argues that citizen participation in the policy and planning process is important. This is because it is through citizen participation that the government is rendered accountable and responsive to the needs of the local community. Secondly, citizen participation is important in that it helps in the deepening of democracy. In Lesotho, citizen participation has been encouraged by the different governments since the era of Moshoeshoe to the present regime. Lesotho held the first democratic local government elections in 2005. One of the objectives of introducing local government is to foster citizen participation in policy and planning processes. The interviews conducted reveal that citizen participation is taking place even though at a minute degree. Several challenges exist in local government that hinder active and effective citizen participation in local government in Lesotho. One of the major challenges impeding citizen participation is the statutory framework regulating citizens’ participation in local government. This study has found that there is no direct legal or policy framework regulating or enforcing citizen participation in local government. Coupled with this challenge is another crucial challenge relating to the structure and mechanisms that are used for citizen participation. The study reveals that the structures and mechanisms are not adequate to enhance and encourage citizen participation. Pursuant to this, the study proposes some reforms with a view to improving citizen participation in Lesotho. Firstly, the study proposes that the policy and legislative frameworks be improved so as to provide enough scope and space for citizen participation. These frameworks should provide for adequate structures, mechanisms as well as processes and areas that can improve citizen participation in local government. Secondly, crucial instruments for community participation in planning such as the IDP, budget process and the performance management in South African context can be designed with specific cognisance of the structures established. Thirdly, the government must encourage, educate and sensitize citizens to actively take part in local government, through capacity building programmes. It can take the advantage of the NGOs already working with the communities and citizens as a strategy to enhance citizen participation. / Public Administration & Management / M. Admin. (Public Administration)

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: HIV/AIDS is one of the worst pandemics affecting the world today. It cuts across all boundaries and many people are infected as well as affected. The virus has reached all the corners of the globe, but the most hit by it is Africa, especially southern Africa, which carries more than half of the population infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The top five countries whose populationsare infected with HIV are in southern Africa. Lesotho is amongst the top three on this list and also has problems of poverty and a high unemployment rate. Women and children, who are the target groups that are most affected by poverty, are also those living in rural areas. Thus, being an HIV-positive mother living in the rural areas of Lesotho means one has to deal with poverty, the inaccessibility of services and the psychological impacts of HIV. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of the views of health service providers on the need and accessibility of support services for HIV-positive mothers in the rural areas of Lesotho from an ecological perspective. To achieve this aim, the objectives were: to offer an overview of the phenomenon of HIV and describe the psychosocial needs and sociocultural circumstance of HIV-positive mothers in the rural areas of Lesotho, and to discuss the HIV-positive mothers’ need for support services from an ecological perspective. Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used. The research utilised exploratory and descriptive design. Purposive sampling was used to select the 30 participants who took part in the study. Data was gathered by means of semi-structured questionnaires that were administered during individual interviews. The questionnaires were formulated on the basis of information retrieved during the literature review. The findings of the study reveal that HIV-positive mothers living in the rural areas of Lesotho have economic, social and cultural circumstance as factors hindering their treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. They are also faced with the psychological impacts of HIV, and the findings revealed that disclosure was the key to addressing their problems. The findings also show that most mothers receivedemotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal support from their families at the micro-level of the ecological perspective. The other levels – meso, exo and macro – provided only limited support for the mothers. The recommendations are that these mothers need social support at all levels of the ecological perspective to meet their needs / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: MIV/vigs is een van die ergste pandemies in die moderne wêreld. Dit ken geen grense nie, en vele mense ly hetsy daaraan of daaronder. Die virus het reeds alle uithoeke van die aarde bereik. Tog gaan Afrika, veral Suider-Afrika, die swaarste daaronder gebuk, en word meer as die helfte van die totale populasie wat aan of onder MIV/vigs ly hier aangetref. Die vyf lande met die hoogste MIV-infeksiesyfers ter wêreld is almal in die streek geleë. Lesotho is een van die drie lande boaan hierdie lys, en het terselfdertyd te kampe met die probleme van armoede en ’n hoë werkloosheidsyfer. Vroue en kinders, synde die groepe wat die ergste deur armoede geraak word, woon ook meestal in landelike gebiede. ’n MIV-positiewe moeder in die landelike gebiede van Lesotho moet dus armoede, ontoeganklike dienste sowel as die sielkundige uitwerking van MIV trotseer. Die doel van hierdie studie was om vanuit die ekologiese perspektief ’n beter begrip te vorm van gesondheidsdiensverskaffers se sienings oor die behoefte aan en toeganklikheid van steundienste vir MIV-positiewe moeders in die landelike gebiede van Lesotho. Om hierdie doel te bereik, was die oogmerke om ’n oorsig van die MIV-verskynsel te bied, die psigososiale behoeftes en sosiokulturele omstandighede van MIV-positiewe moeders in die landelike gebiede van Lesotho te beskryf, en die moeders se behoefte aan steundienste vanuit die ekologiese perspektief te bespreek. ’n Kwantitatiewe sowel as ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetode is gevolg, en die navorser het van ’n verkennende en beskrywende ontwerp gebruik gemaak. Doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om die 30 studiedeelnemers te kies. Data is met behulp van semigestruktureerde vraelyste gedurende individuele onderhoude ingesamel. Die vraelyste is opgestel op grond van inligting wat in die literatuuroorsig bekom is. Die studie bevind dat ekonomiese, maatskaplike en kulturele omstandighede MIV/vigs-behandeling en -voorkoming vir MIV-positiewe vroue in die landelike gebiede van Lesotho belemmer. Daarbenewens moet hulle die sielkundige uitwerking van MIV die hoof bied, en die studie dui op openbaarmaking as die sleutel om hul probleme te hanteer. Die bevindinge toon ook dat die meeste moeders emosionele, fisiese, inligting- en bevestigende steun van hul families op die mikrovlak van die ekologiese perspektief ontvang. Die ander vlakke – meso, ekso en makro – bied slegs beperkte steun. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat hierdie moeders op alle vlakke van die ekologiese perspektief maatskaplike steun moet ontvang om in hul behoeftes te voorsien.

No description available.

This study investigates the main drivers of excess liquidity in the financial sector of Lesotho using Vector Auto Regression (VAR) analysis. The study also undertakes a comparative analysis of Lesotho and CMA economies for economic and financial sector characteristics to benchmark and assist policy recommendation. The results of the study suggest that excess liquidity in Lesotho’s financial sector is driven by undeveloped financial sector as reflected by significant private sector credit to GDP ratio in the results, government expenditure and central bank activities in the open market operations, together with past levels of excess liquidity in the model. Compared to CMA, financial intermediary in Lesotho is relatively undeveloped with government dominating economic activity. The banking sector is observed to be non-competitive for deposits as hinted by the wide intermediation margin compared to other CMA countries.

This study explores both formal and informal arrangements for care of orphans in the Maseru district of Lesotho. The study adopted a qualitative approach using both in-depth interviews and documentary research as the primary methods of data collection. The research findings show that care of orphans in Lesotho is predominantly in the hands of non-governmental and church based organisations. The government’s role is limited to the provision of technical support, including the formulation of policies and laws and some welfare grant provision in the form of free primary education. Care of orphans in the communities is undertaken not only by the extended family members of orphans, but also non-relation community members. It is clear however that while such informal arrangements might provide care and protection to orphan, many are struggling in the face of extreme hardship and poverty. A crisis of social reproduction is therefore increasingly apparent in Lesotho.

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