The Ministry of Education has appealed to high school teachers across Lesotho’s central region to enrol in the Prince Mohato Award Scheme and to recruit learners into the programme, describing it as a transformative vehicle for youth development, leadership and social responsibility.
Ministry of Education Chief Inspector Central, Dr Khoarane Khoarane, made the appeal during a teachers’ workshop for high school educators in the central region, where he outlined the purpose and structure of the Prince Mohato Award Scheme (PMAS), a non-profit organisation patronised by His Majesty King Letsie III.
Dr Khoarane described PMAS as a charitable, non-competitive programme of volunteer leisure-time activities designed for young people between the ages of 14 and 24, in which participants design their own programme activities, set their own goals and record their own progress.
“It is a personal challenge aimed at personal development and acquisition of leadership skills and social responsibility,” Dr Khoarane said, adding that the scheme operates through schools, colleges, youth clubs, voluntary organisations and local groups.
He said the programme works to capacitate and equip Lesotho’s youth in personal discovery and growth, self-reliance, responsibility to themselves and service to their communities. He added that participation also helps instil discipline and resilience against life’s challenges, including the threat of drug abuse, and equips learners with practical skills suited to their different levels of study.
PMAS has three levels of awards, each comprising four sections: service, skills, physical recreation and adventurous journeys. Dr Khoarane said each section challenges participants in their own beliefs about what they can achieve. He emphasised that the scheme is open to all, regardless of gender, culture, religious affiliation, political affiliation, or mental and physical ability.
The scheme was founded by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956 and now operates in more than 40 countries. It was introduced in Lesotho in 1970, and was named the Prince Mohato Award Scheme, when His Majesty was still a prince, by the late Queen ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso. Awards are presented by His Majesty, giving young participants the opportunity to be in his presence.
