Maseru, Jan. 07 — With less than seven days left before schools reopen for 2026 academic year, Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary (PS) has assured that schools stationery is already being distributed.
This, Mr. Rats’iu Majara said in an interview on Wednesday where he said the distribution has started however acknowledging that there would be delay because some of the suppliers have not delivered at all.
He said the local suppliers bidded for the work but fail to deliver saying this does not only impact on the ministry but schools as well as they fall back on syllabus due to unavailability of stationery.
Commenting on why the ministry cannot hold suppliers accountable, Mr. Majara indicated that there was a clause stipulating that for each delay, there should be a deduction of one percent daily from the supplier by the ministry but said they just discovered that their procurement has taken out the said clause. Therefore he emphasised that they are working on measures to take procurement to task for such.
He highlighted that in the previous year, there was also delay in distribution saying they had hoped this year things will be different.
He mentioned that Basotho suppliers had cried foul that the ministry does not give them jobs but now that they have been awarded, they fail dismally to deliver which he said goes against the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that educational needs are met and that students can continue their studies with the required resources.
On the other hand, PS Majara stated that food commodities have been successfully distributed saying by the first day of schools opening learners will be able to eat.
Meanwhile, the Lesotho government supplies schools with stationery to support free primary education, reduce the financial burden on poor families, ensure all children have basic learning materials, and promote equal access to quality education, with initiatives often targeting vulnerable students to build confidence and improve performance, although consistent delivery can be a challenge.
This supply is part of the government’s broader role in education policy and funding, alongside providing textbooks and paying teacher salaries, aiming to achieve quality education for all Basotho children.
Ends/ AT
