Limpho Motanyane

Lerotholi Polytechnic

In 1894 Paramount Chief Lerotholi Letsie conceptualized the establishment of a technical and vocational School. In preparation for the establishment of the School, he introduced a fund raising campaign (called Sethabathaba with the local lingo) which every Mosotho family man had to pay to finance it. This levy was paid from 1898 and it was paid in monetary or other terms. Eleven years later from its conception, the first foundation stone was laid in 1905 at what was called Lerotholi Artisan School in Maseru. This came at that time because Chief Lerotholi was fully aware of the dire need of technical skills in the country in building construction, especially for building government houses. The first superintendent of this School was Reverend Nelson Fargothy and it is by the Sesotho version of his name Fokothi that the School, now Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) is well known to this day. The institution has grown by leaps and bounds from about 50 students in 1905 to approximately 3000 currently. The institution comprises five (5) schools, namely, the School of Engineering and Technology, and the School of the Built Environment, The School of Enterprise and Management which offer Diploma programmes. The Artisan Training Institute which offers Craft (Vocational) programmes and The School of Continuing Education which focuses on increasing access to education by offering specific need-based programmes and courses to industry and the general public while also using available opportunities to generate income for the institution.