… Sends 20 workers home
The management of the troubled Maseru English Medium Preparatory School (MEMPS) has admitted to a series of internal challenges, including maladministration and misgovernance, in a letter that also unveiled a controversial restructuring plan.
The plan has allegedly resulted in the termination of more than 20 employee contracts. Those affected are primarily support staff such as cleaners, gardeners, and security guards, along with several administrative employees.
According to one termination letter seen by Newsday, the implementation of the new strategic plans is the reason for the mass layoffs.
The letter, signed by Head of School Phano Sharite, states that the decision was a “regrettable” but necessary step to address a “downward spiral trend” marked by ineffective administration, declining student enrollment, overstaffing, and a lack of funding.
“A strategic plan was presented by the Governing Board in an effort to reverse the downward spiral trend at Maseru English Medium Preparatory School, which has previously been marked by a number of problems. It is common knowledge that the school’s challenges involved ineffective previous administrations, a persistent drop in enrolment, overstaffing, and lack of funding,” Sharite wrote.
She added that the situation had been raised in several consultative meetings with staff, “to which you were invited and in which the majority of staffers participated.”
“The utter maladministration and misgovernance which plagued MEMPS led to the recent delayed payments of salaries. It became apparent that over 90 percent of the revenue generated from the tuitions was meeting the wage bill and salaries,” she added.
Sharite said that, given the dire circumstances already communicated to staff, there was a regrettable but unavoidable need to restructure the school in order to salvage its future. She explained that this process would be guided by a new strategic plan, which laid out measures to address long-standing challenges.
“The restructuring process regrettably also entails releasing employees who do not fit the new strategic plan and its requirements,” she wrote.
To this end, Sharite outlined five major decisions aimed at reducing overstaffing and managing limited resources. First, the school would no longer provide full-time children’s nursing services, with a new arrangement to be phased in under the plan. Second, the full-time HR office was abolished, with its responsibilities reassigned to teacher representatives or staff leadership under the 2025–2030 strategy.
Third, assistant teaching posts were replaced with student tutors, to be filled by individuals holding a Certificate in Early Childhood Education or a Diploma in the field. Fourth, the printing office, registrar, and headmaster’s personal assistant positions were scrapped, with their functions redistributed across existing roles.
Lastly, staffing levels in housekeeping, security, and gardening were cut back to just three employees in each section.
“Severe financial constraints have influenced the decision to remove some of the sections in the structure, but more significantly, these sections are not so essential to carrying out the strategic plan trajectory over the next five years,” Sharite said.
“We regret that some employees’ contracts will have to be terminated. Regretably, you are among those who have been impacted by the changes, which is why your employment congtract is being terminated.
“You are required to serve a 30-day notice period, effective from today, September 2, 2025, with your last working day being October 1, 2025,” she concluded.
However, insiders have questioned the school’s narrative of financial distress. Sources told Newsday that MEMPS hired two new employees as recently as May this year, with combined annual salaries exceeding M100,000, raising doubts about the necessity of mass layoffs.
Another sticking point is the school’s claim of “consultative meetings.” Several terminated employees insist no consultations were held and describe the process as abrupt, with dismissal letters handed out without prior warning.
When contacted for comment yesterday, Sharite ended the call immediately after the journalist introduced herself. She did not answer subsequent calls.MEMPS, once regarded as one of Lesotho’s most prestigious primary schools, is now battling a mounting financial crisis.
In August, Newsday reported that staff resignations, unpaid debts, and delayed salaries had pushed the institution to the brink, with morale among remaining staff at “an all-time low.”
Newsday also reported in July that the school was at the centre of a growing financial storm after being slapped with a legal demand for more than M3.4 million in unpaid rentals and damages.
The claim, brought by Nashua Maseru through Webber Newdigate Attorneys, related to two rental agreements signed in 2022 and 2023 for equipment hired by the school, each set to run for a period of 60 months.
Summary
- The management of the troubled Maseru English Medium Preparatory School (MEMPS) has admitted to a series of internal challenges, including maladministration and misgovernance, in a letter that also unveiled a controversial restructuring plan.
- The letter, signed by Head of School Phano Sharite, states that the decision was a “regrettable” but necessary step to address a “downward spiral trend” marked by ineffective administration, declining student enrollment, overstaffing, and a lack of funding.
- “Severe financial constraints have influenced the decision to remove some of the sections in the structure, but more significantly, these sections are not so essential to carrying out the strategic plan trajectory over the next five years,” Sharite said.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
