Mafeteng...Lesotho’s Hope

Mafeteng L.E.C. Primary school, situated some 60km south from the Lesotho Capital, Maseru, where 38 teachers serve 1700 students each day, became the latest home for M-Ubuntu when a 3-day conference on mobile learning was conducted from 16-19 September. !All teachers from Grade 1-7, together with the school leadership, ably led by principal, Mrs Seitlheko, gathered for 3 days to source best practices in Mobile Learning in an attempt to add to the quality of learning at Mafeteng L.E.C. Primary School. !The only single room at the school with electricity was turned into a hive of activity as teachers were not only introduced to Mobile Learning, but also coached on how to conduct a project by using the mobile devices. !The phones have been sponsored by the SPRINT FOUNDATION in the US and the 3-day support provided by Learning Academy Worldwide, was funded by the Beijing Royal School. Funding also came from Chief Mogakolodi Masibi from Disaneng in the North West province of South Africa. !"We think this is the beginning of an exciting new start," said principal, Mrs Seitlheko. !The school serves a very poor community and the infrastructural needs are immense. Yet, despite the odds, the teachers maintain a

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Lesotho Primary School Explores

Mobile Learning

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healthy pride in what they do and the seriousness in their commitment to the students' needs is very evident. !The teacher conference marked the beginning of the professional development phase that will extend into implementation in all the grades starting March 2014. !"I have never seen such commitment as I beheld over these last days," said visiting principal, Mr Mabidika Langa, from Mogakolodi-Masibi Comprehensive School. !Mr Langa's school has been host to M-Ubuntu projects for 3 years and he attended the conference on invitation from Learning Academy Worldwide in support of the Lesotho initiative. Mr Langa was particularly impressed with the fact that none of the teachers objected to participate in the program despite the fact that some sessions went well into the early evening. "It's a rarity to see such commitment; that they do not watch the clock - they are so eager to learn," he continued.

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One of the children’s first duties of a school day includes fetching water at the one tap that services the whole school. The water is accessibly placed at

various points on the school premises.

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One observation, made by Prof Dieter von Willert, from the partnering initiative Learning Aid Project, highlighted the character of the young children displayed in taking ownership of the needs at the school. !This was clearly shown when the small therapy room for

special needs and traumatized children was transformed with the students taking the responsibility upon themselves to make a difference. ! Grade 7 girls and boys filled cracks, replaced a broken window, painted the walls and tiled the floor. Toys were donated by the Rotary Club from a South African small town, Colesberg, and the Learning Aid Project, which also donated shelves to display the toys. Total costs amounted to €220. !

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BEFORE AFTER

Grade 7 girls and boys filled cracks, replaced a broken window, painted the walls and tiled the floor.

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Lesotho Quick Facts !The LEC Primary School in Mafeteng, Lesotho has nearly 1696 pupils and 39 teachers. There is only one water point at the school. Electricity is only provided to the PC room !Mafeteng has app. 60 000 citizens.The majority of the households lack water and electricity. !Lesotho is a small country [30 355 km2] and has about 2 million citizens. It borders South Africa, entirely encapsulated. !More than 40% of the populationlive on less than 1,25 US$ per day. !The GDP per capita –current prices is US$ 1,355 !The governmental expenditure for education is 12.4%

We need your help. !We welcome all the help we can get, yet we are not afraid to do things ourselves and get done what is needed. !At this early stage of the year, our student total is standing at 1595 students, but that figure could change any moment. !Our biggest need at the moment is infrastructural. !While we are disappointed at not succeeding in our application to the Japanese Embassy to build an ablution block, we are thankful for the promised assistance from the Learning Aid Project. !Last year, we received a quotation of about R700 000 (US $64 333) to build 6 classrooms. Thankfully, the Learning Aid Project provided an assurance of R100 000, raised by the students from the Goetheschule in Kaiserslautern in Germany. !Clearly we need more help. !The classrooms are an absolute priority and we will appreciate your kind consideration to help us. !Now that we have embarked on the Mobile Learning initiative, the possibilities for improving the quality of the learning process for our students are greatly enhanced. !We hope that the network around Learning Academy Worldwide can benefit our work here in Lesotho. !Please donate to the link on the M-Ubuntu website and mark your donation - MafetengLEC. !Principal Mrs Seitlheko

Mrs Seitlheko Principal