The disadvantaged African boy: the experience of herd boys in Lesotho

Thandie Hlabana, National University of Lesotho
Moikabi Matsoai, Pulamaliboho Nutrition and Health Consulting

The rights of boys in Lesotho are of interest at this time when the world continues to advance the rights of women and girls. Specifically, Lesotho is peculiar in that, while it is a patriarchal society - that is still very traditional - women are more educated than men, translating into better opportunities for women than men. This gap represents not only a social contradiction, but a conflict as well. While the 2006 Gender and Development Policy emphasises gender equality and equity in the country, there has been too much focus on the rights of women and girls. This paper aims to highlight the plight of Basotho boys using educational data as well as in-depth interviews with herd-boys. In addition, the paper will evaluate the current Learning Post Programmes designed to offer basic education for herd-boys.