Despite notable growth in budget allocations for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in Lesotho over the past five years, a new report warns that the sector’s heavy reliance on donor funding and stagnant domestic investment threaten its long-term sustainability.
The report, jointly developed by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), the Network of Early Childhood Development of Lesotho (NECDOL), and the Lesotho Council of NGOs, analyses ECCD financing trends from 2020 to 2025.
It revealed that although ECCD funding has increased from 1.14 percent to 4.80 percent of the MoET’s budget, a staggering 78.44 percent of that funding comes from donors.
With government recurrent spending frozen at 1.45 percent throughout the five-year period, experts fear the country’s youngest learners remain vulnerable to shifts in donor priorities and external funding shocks.
The report called for urgent policy reforms, including a legislated seven percent minimum budget allocation for ECCD by 2026 and stronger domestic mechanisms for monitoring and coordinating expenditure.
ECCD, the report emphasised, is the foundation for lifelong learning and a key driver of national productivity.
Yet despite recognition of its importance, the government’s recurrent spending on early childhood services remains flat, hovering at just 1.45 percent of MoET’s total budget over the period under review.
While ECCD’s share of the ministry’s overall budget grew from 1.14 percent in 2020 to 4.80 percent in 2025, the report noted that a staggering 78.44 percent of the sector’s funding is still donor-funded.
This raises concerns about long-term sustainability.
The report further revealed that MoET’s total budget allocation from the national purse dropped sharply, from 13.65 percent in 2023/24 to just 9.20 percent in the current financial year.
Capital funding fell by a dramatic 98 percent. This deepened the sector’s reliance on development partners such as UNICEF, GPE, and the World Bank.
International benchmarks, including those set by UNESCO and UNICEF, call on governments to allocate at least 10 percent of their education budgets to early childhood care and education.
In November 2022, UNESCO member states—including Lesotho—committed to reaching this target and ensuring fair pay and decent working conditions for ECCD professionals.
Currently, Lesotho lags behind this goal but still outperforms regional peers such as Malawi and Eswatini. However, it trails Kenya, which has already surpassed the 5.6 percent threshold.
The report warned that only 35 percent of ECCD centres in Lesotho have adequate learning materials, highlighting the urgent need for increased and better-targeted investment.
In its conclusion, the report argued that Lesotho’s progress in ECCD financing is commendable, but not enough.
“While the current ECCD budget is closer to five percent, it is donor-dependent and therefore unstable,” it read. “Strategic reallocation of government funds is necessary to ensure long-term sustainability and equitable access.”
It called on the government to legislate a minimum seven percent ECCD budget allocation by 2026 and to establish a Donor Coordination Unit to harmonise external contributions.
Other key recommendations include developing a detailed, costed ECCD expansion plan, launching a real-time expenditure tracking system, addressing delays in procurement, and prioritising rural and marginalised communities to ensure that no child is left behind.
“Develop a detailed costed plan for ECCD expansion, including infrastructure, teacher training, and curriculum improvements. Address delays in procurement processes to ensure the timely implementation of ECCD programs. Prioritise rural and marginalised communities to ensure all children have access to quality early childhood education,” it concluded.
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.
