The public image of the herders in Lesotho and implication for the non-formal education curriculum

Higher reported female literacy rates in Lesotho have resulted from poverty and economic challenges which prohibit male access to education in that males drop out in higher numbers in search of employment mainly as herders, in order to supplement their family income resulting in higher female litera...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:African identities 2017-10, Vol.15 (4), p.457-471
Main Authors: Pitikoe, Selloane, Preece, Julia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Access to education
Aspiration
Culture
Curricula
Employment
Farmworkers
herders
Higher education
identity
Informal education
Life history
Literacy
Livestock industry
Males
Masculinity
non-formal education
othering
Otherness
Poverty
Power
Public image
Social identity
Social relations
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Higher reported female literacy rates in Lesotho have resulted from poverty and economic challenges which prohibit male access to education in that males drop out in higher numbers in search of employment mainly as herders, in order to supplement their family income resulting in higher female literacy rates. Whilst non-formal education (NFE) provision caters for adult herders, this provision seems to inadequately cover for the herders' educational ambitions. This information gap calls for a need to establish a deeper understanding of who the herders are, how they live and how they want to live. The findings of this paper derive from a qualitative PhD study of 30 adult herders in Lesotho. The herders' life histories and educational ambitions are filtered through identity theory in order to inform the national NFE policy. It emerged that the public image findings were reflected through themes of culture, masculinity and 'othering'. This image influenced their social relationships and their learning ambitions. A recommendation is made on the need for NFE curriculum to address the herders' public collectively in order to promote their - participation, retention, inclusion into the society whilst also addressing the power relations that might potentially inhibit education access.
ISSN:1472-5843
1472-5851
DOI:10.1080/14725843.2017.1319757