The effectiveness of mentoring in the Distance Teacher Education Programme at the Lesotho College of Education: student teachers' and tutors' perceptions

In response to the need for more qualified primary school teachers in Lesotho, the Lesotho College of Education (LCE) introduced the Distance Teacher Education Programme (DTEP), an in-service training programme for unqualified and underqualified teachers. As part of the curriculum in this programme, the more than 1200 student teachers who were enrolled needed to be supported and mentored, but were served by only 16 tutors in six different regions. As one of the tutors and mentors in the DTEP, the researcher (LM-M) undertook a qualitative perception survey through focus group discussions with student teachers and tutors in the DTEP. The researcher was able to evaluate the mentoring system in the DTEP according to the functions of effective mentoring, as identified in a literature review. The strengths and weaknesses identified in the survey are highlighted and recommendations are made for different stakeholders on how the mentoring system can be improved.