Bursary fund to prioritise needy students

Nthatuoa Koeshe

THE government will prioritise needy Basotho students in the allocation of bursaries under the recently reformed Loan Bursary Fund (LBF), the Minister of Energy, Mokoto Hloaele, has said.

Mr Hloaele spoke on behalf of the Minister of Development Planning, Tlohelang Aumane, at the workshop.

He said this at the recent LBF reform programme assessment report validation stakeholders’ workshop.

Mr Hloaele said the validation of the LBF reform programme was meant to improve sustainability of the fund as well as ensure wide and efficient coverage of the beneficiaries.

He said this could be achieved by enabling the LBF to mobilise its own resources and create systems that target the priority fields of study for the country’s development.

He said the reform of the fund will prevent dissatisfaction among the intended beneficiaries by simplifying the process of granting bursaries.

The report states that the current LBF Scheme was established to improve on the previous bursary funds which were phased out due to sustainability challenges.

“The Sethaba-Thaba Fund was the first higher education students’ bursary fund to be established by the Paramount Chief Mantsebo Seeiso before independence,” the report states.

“The fund provided full grants to outstanding Basotho students to study only in Britain which was the colonial master of the country. Its funding was entirely depended on a few well-wishers and Basotho business people. As time progressed dynamics changed and the scheme became unsustainable.

“The LBF is tasked to mobilise adequate resources to provide loan bursaries and scholarships for academically able but economically needy Basotho students to pursue higher education in order to develop the much-needed human capital for the needs of the economy of Lesotho.”

Speaking at the same event, the acting Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Development Planning, Mamatebele Setefane, said the report was developed by the Association of African Higher Education Financing Agencies (AAHEFA) Consultancy on behalf of the Ministry of Development Planning.

She said the report was developed in consultation with stakeholders from the local higher education institutions, banking sector, private sector and ministries and institutions that deal with human capital development in its various facets.