Challenges and possibilities for implementing an ODFL intervention for increased education access to conventional secondary school in Lesotho in a context of high HIV prevalence rates

Abstract

This report reviews the results of an impact evaluation of a large-scale collaborative project on strengthening open and flexible learning for increased education access in high HIV-prevalence SADC countries (SOFIE). The study draws on a growing body of literature that indicates that open, distance and flexible learning approaches can be effectively used to fill the gap that many developing countries are faced with in their attempts to expand their educational provision1. The design of the empirical research followed a mixed-methods approach in two distinct sequential phases. Findings from a qualitative study of factors that led to disruption of schooling for children in high HIV-prevalence areas among Basotho2 secondary school children were used to design an open, distance and flexible learning (ODFL) intervention model aimed at tackling these factors. The findings show that more equitable access to education can be achieved by providing opportunities for ODFL as a complement to traditional schooling and by building circles of support around vulnerable children. The paper discusses some of the challenges to such interventions and considers how the findings might be maximised to lead to wider educational and social transformation.