Editing Lesotho (section)

===Education and literacy===
{{Main|Education in Lesotho}}
[[File:National University of Lesotho Administration Block.jpg|thumb|[[National University of Lesotho]]]]
According to estimates, 85% of women and 68% of men over the age of 15 are literate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.unesco.org/countries/lesotho|title=Lesotho|date=2014-11-04|website=UNESCO|language=en|access-date=2019-05-18|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518113538/https://en.unesco.org/countries/lesotho|url-status=live}}</ref> As such, Lesotho holds "one of the highest literacy rates in Africa",<ref name="factbook"/> in part because Lesotho invests over 12% of its GDP in education.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web| url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/tableviewer/document.aspx?ReportId=143| title=Unesco Institute for Statistics: Date Centre| date=14 September 2007| access-date=28 February 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130085835/http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/tableviewer/document.aspx?ReportId=143| archive-date=30 January 2011| url-status=live| df=dmy-all}}</ref> Female literacy (84.93%) exceeds male literacy (67.75%) by 17.18%. According to a study by the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality in 2000, 37% of grade 6 pupils in Lesotho (average age 14 years) are at or above reading level 4, "Reading for Meaning."<ref name=sacmeq>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacmeq.org/education-lesotho.htm |title=The SACMEQ II Project in Lesotho: A Study of the Conditions of Schooling and the Quality of Education. Harare: SACMEQ |publisher=Sacmeq |date=2 October 2005 |access-date=4 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425052229/http://www.sacmeq.org/education-lesotho.htm |archive-date=25 April 2013 }}</ref> A pupil at this level of literacy can read ahead or backwards through parts of text to link and interpret information. While education is not compulsory, the Government of Lesotho is incrementally implementing a program for free primary education.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.education.gov.ls/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=30 |title=Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training – Basic Education |publisher=Education.gov.ls |date=5 October 2005 |access-date=4 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720222113/http://www.education.gov.ls/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=30 |archive-date=20 July 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In a 2009 report, adult literacy is as high as 82%.<ref name="undp">[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf Human Development Report 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122115116/http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf|date=22 November 2009}}. The United Nations. Retrieved 7 March 2012.</ref>

According to the [[International Telecommunication Union]], 3.4% of the population use the internet. A service from [[Telecom Lesotho|Econet Telecom Lesotho]] expanded the country's access to email through entry-level, low-end mobile phones and consequently improved access to educational information. The [[African Library Project]] works to establish school and village libraries in partnership with [[Peace Corps|US Peace Corps Lesotho]]<ref name="peacecorps">{{cite web|url=http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.wherepc.africa.lesotho |title=Peace Corps: Lesotho |date=14 July 2010 |access-date=28 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205042351/http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.Wherepc.africa.lesotho |archive-date= 5 February 2011 }}</ref> and the [[Butha-Buthe District]] of Education.