Minister of Education Hon. Mokhele Moletsane, Tsepo Moleleki, Rethabile Kepa and the American Ambassodor Matthew Harrington
Lijeng Ranooe
THE Minister of Education, Mokhele Moletsane, has praised the United States (US) government for its assistance which has facilitated socio-economic development in Lesotho.
Mr Moletsane said this during a send-off ceremony for two local recipients of the US Fulbright Scholarships which was held at the American Corner State Library in Maseru this week.
The two, Tšepo Moleleki and Rethabile Kepa departed for the US this week to pursue an MSc degree in Business and Marketing Education at Auburn University and an MA in International Economics and Development at Eastern Michigan University respectively.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Moletsane praised the US government for supporting education and development in Lesotho.
He also commended the US for funding key multinational institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund which played a critical role in improving Lesotho’s education system.
“The US Government never ceases to make highly valued contributions to the development of this country,” Mr Moletsane said, adding, education was important in the key national goals of poverty reduction and economic growth.
“The regional and international fronts in higher education emphasise harmonisation, internationalisation and articulation of higher education programme offerings.
“The visibility of our local institutions at the world stage matters, but more even more so is the credibility of achievements of our teaching staff and graduates. Your readiness to assist Lesotho in this same regard is highly commendable.”
The minister also congratulated the two scholarship recipients and encouraged them to cherish the opportunity.
The duo expressed joy and gratitude for the opportunity, saying they would work hard in their studies before returning home to apply the acquired knowledge and skills to facilitate socio- economic development.
For his part, US Ambassador to Lesotho, Matthew Harrington said the Fulbright Scholarships were the “flagship US government exchange programmes and remain one of the most prestigious opportunities for foreign students to pursue studies and degrees in the United States”.
“There have been over 202 000 participants in the programme from across the world and Fulbright alumni include 57 Nobel Prize laureates and 37 current and previous heads of state or government. Fulbright scholars are renowned as leaders in their respective fields.
“This is not only a prestigious programme but an investment in Lesotho’s future.
Eighty five Basotho have benefited from this scholarship programme in fields such as business, science, public policy, arts, and economics”, he added.
Mr Harrington also said the US was a long-standing development partner, adding, “We opened our embassy the day Lesotho declared independence (in 1966) and have been here uninterrupted ever since and through our public diplomacy programmes we strive to maintain and strengthen our people –to –people connections”.
