The effectiveness of the OVC bursary scheme in enhancing orphans and vulverable children's access to secondary schools in Lesotho

Abstract

The study focuses on assessing the effectiveness of the OVC Bursary Scheme Policy 2000 in enhancing access and retention of orphans and vulnerable learners in secondary schools. The success and development of any child depends significantly on quality education and a nurturing environment involving various stakeholders such as the government, NGOs, community members, parents, guardians and the children themselves. The study used a social-constructive research paradigm and was inspired by the Ubuntu philosophy. It followed a qualitative approach and used a case design. To gather the necessary data, the study employed semi-structured interviews and document analysis and selected participants through purposive sampling. The target participants included school principals, teachers, orphans and vulnerable learners both supported and not supported by the OVC Bursary Scheme Policy 2000 and guardians or parents of these learners. During the data analysis process, I transcribed the audio recordings of the interviews verbatim. These transcriptions were then translated from Sesotho (the language used during interviews) to English. The inductive approach was used to code the interview responses, meaning that themes emerged from the data itself rather than being predetermined. The findings highlighted several challenges faced by orphans and vulnerable learners, which had a negative impact on their school participation and ultimately led to school dropout. One of the main challenges identified is the unmet basic needs of the learners, particularly the lack of food. The availability of breakfast, lunch and supper was found to be crucial for these learners to actively participate at school. Additionally, the study revealed that the absence of hygiene items such as soap, toothpaste and toiletries affected learners' self-esteem. Based on the findings, the study suggests a series of recommendations. Among other recommendations, the government should review and strengthen support through the OVC Bursary Scheme Policy 2000, establish additional financial support programmes, and develop monitoring mechanisms for OVC recipients. The government is also advised to conduct a comprehensive review of the policy, make it more holistic, establish parental support programmes, implement home visitation programs, and provide appropriate support to schools. The study concludes by suggesting that future research should focus on assessing the factors that v impede the effective implementation of the OVC Bursary Scheme Policy 2000 and promote access and retention of OVC in secondary schools