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Good practice Imported

Basic Education Strengthening Project (BESP) – Tech-Enabled Teaching & Youth Clubs

Lesotho · Maseru · See the Lesotho profile · See the Maseru profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 24% 92/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

A $7.1M World Bank/GPE-financed project gave Lesotho teachers tech-enabled training and ran youth clubs in junior secondary schools, reaching 40,569 learners, cutting dropout from 27% to 19.8%, and lifting early-years literacy from 71% to 85%.

7.1 US$ million
Project financing
87 %
Secondary science and mathematics teachers trained
222 teachers
Teachers completing online certification
352 centres
ECCD centres/reception classes supported
81 % of 754 instructors
ECCD instructors trained
259 clubs
Youth clubs established (across 69 secondary schools)
3,400+ adolescents
Adolescents engaged directly
40569 learners
Learners benefited nationwide
27 %
Junior secondary dropout rate, 2021 (baseline) (2021)
19.8 %
Junior secondary dropout rate, project close (February 2025)
71 %
Early-years literacy (age 5), baseline
85 %
Early-years literacy (age 5), project close
63.6 %
Early-years numeracy (age 5), baseline
77.2 %
Early-years numeracy (age 5), project close
Basic Education Strengthening Project (BESP) – Tech-Enabled Teaching & Youth Clubs

Details

Maturity
Discontinued
Promoter
World Bank / Ministry of Education and Training, Lesotho (financed by the Global Partnership for Education)
Period
2022-2025
Keywords
education, teacher training, digital literacy, rural development

Context

The Basic Education Strengthening Project (BESP) was a three-year, $7.1 million initiative financed by the Global Partnership for Education and implemented by Lesotho's Ministry of Education and Training with World Bank support. It combined technology-enabled professional development for teachers, youth clubs as safe spaces for adolescents, and a modernised early-childhood curriculum built around learning through play.

Objectives

BESP aimed to strengthen teaching quality and reduce dropout in junior secondary education, while improving early-childhood learning outcomes and creating supportive spaces for adolescents.

Activities

The project trained 87% of secondary science and mathematics teachers and enrolled instructors in an online certification programme completed by 222 teachers. It supported 352 reception classes and early childhood development (ECCD) centres, trained 81% of the 754 ECCD instructors, and established 259 youth clubs across 69 secondary schools, engaging more than 3,400 adolescents directly.

Results

BESP directly benefited 40,569 learners nationwide. In targeted community councils, junior secondary dropout fell from 27% in 2021 to 19.8% by the time the project closed in February 2025. Among five-year-olds in supported ECCD centres, literacy rose from 71% to 85% and numeracy from 63.6% to 77.2%.

Conclusions

The project formally closed in February 2025, with the Ministry continuing to carry forward the revised curriculum and certified teacher cohorts.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

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