Factors influencing secondary learners career choices at one tertiary institution in Lesotho

Abstract

iv ABSTRACT Amongst the least developed countries, Lesotho is one of the few that has been highly praised for its expenditure on human capital development. The proportion of Lesotho’s national budget allotted for education comparable to its GDP is very high and it would be expected that the country has put mechanism to channel these financial resources appropriately. The National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) II categorises careers that are a priority for the Government in four segments: agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and creative industries, and technology and innovation. The NSDP II also indicates that the higher education sector should aim at shaping graduates for the labour market demands. From the foregoing, it can be assumed that the country would mainly sponsor the educational programmes that align with the national development plan. Similarly, the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) emphasises increase in the intake of Basotho students in technical-related careers in Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s). Given the education-related expenditure that Lesotho has proportionate to its GDP, and that every child who qualifies to do a degree in the country and outside gets to be sponsored, it would be expected that there are measures to provide career guidance to secondary school learners to choose careers that fall within the priority needs of the government. The current study was conceived at the backdrop of trying to examine the extent to which learners at secondary school level are guided to choose careers that fit their competence and skills, but also careers that are fit to the country’s needs, or skills shortage. Underpinned by Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory of Career Decision-Making (SLTCDM), which highlights how individuals in different levels of life make choices of educational programmes, careers, and fields of work, the current study sought to explain how government, through the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) provides the relevant support for learners to choose and to succeed in careers that are ear-marked for national development. The study adopted a qualitative research design and used focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to generate data. The sample consisted of forty-two first-year and seven second-year students, and seven first-year tutors. While recent studies do indicate that v secondary school learners join HEIs to pursue careers that are saturated and therefore not addressing the skills gap in Lesotho, the current study found the same trend. It has been established that the learners’ choice of programmes at tertiary education level is informed by the lack of nationally planned strategies to guide them on choosing careers compatible to both their abilities and the national skills shortage. The Ministry of Education and Training has no career guidance programme for secondary schools to guide learners’ career choices. As a result, learners’ choices are influenced by a variety factors, such as people around them, their experiences or the lack of exposure, as well as their aggregate performance in the Lesotho General Certificate of Secondary Education (LGCSE). The study concludes that lack of career guidance in schools is likely to negatively affect the goals that Lesotho sets for its national development and grievously undermines the immense investment made annually on tertiary education. There is a need to develop a career guidance policy to inform both the career guidance services in schools and how government awards scholarships at tertiary level. It is also recommended that career guidance centres be established to support secondary schools guide learners in making career choices that address skills shortfalls facing Lesotho, the region and the world at large.