One of the local political parties outside parliament, Yearn for Economic Sustainability, (YES) has added its voice to some the niggling challenges currently dominating the national discourse, such as the plight of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the recent non-payment of teachers’ salaries.
The party’s president, Molefi Ntṧonyana, has decried the administrative challenges that are said to have crippled the IEC’s operations, while also lambasting what he called the ‘unfair treatment of teachers in the country’.
“The IEC is facing huge challenges and might shut down due to it because there are no directors and no commissioners, a situation that has resulted in employees not getting paid while some officers’ contracts have come to an end and cannot be renewed. People there are going to lose their jobs.
“All this is happening because of the ongoing court case challenging the regularity of the appointment of new commissioners. This is a matter of public concern and should be treated lightly, as the collapse of the IEC could result in failure to hold credible elections.”
On the issue of teachers’ salaries, Ntṧonyane said lamented that teachers in Lesotho are not afforded the respect they deserve despite their hard work.
“Education is the backbone of the nation and should be treated as thus. Teachers are the future of the nation as we know it; we need an education system that responds to the current challenges the nation is facing, and teachers are the ones are at the core of producing all future generations. for Lesotho.
“We need better education systems for our brothers and sisters, a system that will provide solutions to the current issues, and all this lies in the hands of our teachers. It is time now for the current government to invest in teachers as this will mean investing in the future generations.”
