A Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA) Schools Secretariat official is in trouble with his school board after he questioned the education minister’s appointment of two teachers. Lehlohonolo Mokoena, the Assistant Educational Secretary LECSA, wrote to the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) over the appointments arguing that the appointments were deeply flawed.
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Mokoena is now set to be grilled by the LECSA Schools Secretariat Board.
His boss, Moses Phoole, told thepost yesterday that Mokoena did not seek the secretariat’s permission to write to the TSC concerning the appointment of its members.
“We are going to meet as a board,” Phoole said.
“This has shocked us and he will have to explain himself before the board why he did that,” he said.
“We have never passed any resolution on this. It is his own personal concerns.”
Mokoena wrote the letter in May but only delivered it to the TSC last week where he challenged the appointment of two members saying it was not compliant with the TSC Act.
Section 41 (1) (a) of the Act directs that out of the five commissioners, “three shall be appointed by the Minister and at least two of whom are women”.
The minister has appointed two men instead of women, Ratokelo Nkoka and Dr Khati.
“I would like to know what is it that brought about non-compliance? (sic),” Mokoena said in the letter.
“I want to make it clear to the TSC that, the Christian churches and their institutions have a keen interest on matters pertaining to justice and peace among others,” he said.
“They have a very clear understanding of the relationship that exists between law, justice and peace. It comes as a surprise that the TSC is apparently not aware of this interest.”
Education Minister Professor Ntoi Rapapa told thepost that “those appointments were done before the current government” took over.
“However, there are two women and three gentlemen in the TSC,” he said.
Asked if he could not correct the wrong as the new minister, he answered that “it’s not automatic”.
Mokoena told thepost that he wrote the letter in his official capacity.
Nkoka yesterday said “he is a madman and his church is against this”.
“I am officially saying this man is insane and the church is stopping him from doing this,” Nkoka said.
Nkoka is a devout member of LECSA and served as a teacher for decades before joining Radio Lesotho as a Sesotho language expert.
He later joined LECSA’s KEL Radio Station.
Staff Reporter
