Billy Ntaote
MASERU — The Acting Prime Minister Thesele ’Maseribane has applauded Free State Premier Ace Magashule’s pledge to ease Lesotho students’ movement to South Africa. Maseribane said they have agreed there is need for South Africa, especially the Free State Province, to review students’ requirements to study in South Africa to be in line with the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) protocol on Education and Training of 2006.
‘Maseribane, who is also the Minister of Gender and Youth, Sports and Recreation, was speaking at a press conference on Thursday at the end of the Lesotho government and Free State Provincial Executive Council members’ meeting.
Magashule was accompanied by the MECs of Agriculture; Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs; Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs; Education; Finance; Health; Public Works; Social Development; Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation. ‘Maseribane met Magashule’s delegation after the delegation visited King Letsie III and paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Thomas Thabane before his departure to the UN summit.
Maseribane said during talks of the education and training ministers it was realised there is a need to revisit the Sadc protocol on education and training so as to ease movement and access to colleges and universities in South Africa.
“We talked about the need to address issues like demanding medical aid and many other different permits for students to be allowed to study in South Africa, most specifically the Free State,” he said. He said the main intention is to ensure that students’ access to education is freer than it has been in the past years. Maseribane said the Deputy Minister of Education and Training Apesi Ratšele would corroborate what was decided upon by the Lesotho and Free State MEC of Education.
“We talked about Lesotho Students studying in South Africa and the Premier was telling me they are aware of our students’ good performance in their studies. “We talked at length on how these students can be assisted especially to get scholarships to further their studies and to even access jobs,” he said.
According to the Sadc education and training protocol of 2006 article three (f) stating the objectives of the protocol, member states agreed “to work towards the reduction and eventual elimination of constraints to better and freer access, by citizens of member states, to good quality education and training opportunities within the region;”
The article continues on (h) to say another objective is to work towards the relaxation and eventual elimination of immigration formalities in order to facilitate freer movement of students and stuff within the region for specific purpose of study, teaching, research and any other pursuits relating to education and training. When clarifying the finer details of his meeting with the Free State provincial Education MEC, Ratšele said “we agreed to revisit the Sadc protocol that says students should not produce study permits.”
Ratšele said the spirit of the protocol is that students from the Sadc region studying in the Sadc members’ countries should be treated as local students. For his part, Magashule confirmed they were to work on simplifying Basotho students’ access to South African universities while also emphasising South Africa would like to have all countries treated fairly.
He said the matters concerning students would be taken even to the national level in South Africa adding that in two weeks time he would push to ensure both sides’ ministers of home affairs work on some of the issues raised regarding the Sadc education and training protocol. Magashule said amid the talks and the memorandums of understanding that all sectors would draw, there is still the Joint Bilateral Commission Cooperation agreement w with Lesotho and it is time both parties assess which aspects of the agreement had not been implemented.
“We have to work on what has not been achieved that appears in that JBCC,” he said. Magashule emphasised Free State as a province wants to cement its relations with Lesotho and ensure certain things that the two governments can achieve on their own are attained. He emphasised, apart from educational issues there is a need to boast each other and ensure both the Free State and Lesotho’s economies grow.