THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO COMBINED SECOND TO EIGHTH PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS AND INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA 184. Section 3 of the Education Act provides for free and compulsory primary education. It expressly seeks to implement section 28 of the Constitution by providing education to all. Pursuant to this provision, in 2015 about 98 percent of children of a school-going age had been enrolled in Primary Schools. 185. Primary Schools are predominantly owned by churches in Lesotho. However, churches have partnered with government for these schools to operate as public schools. The government is responsible for payment of teachers of these schools. The government also assist with improvement of the schools’ infrastructure and also provides furniture and books used in the schools. 186. The Education Act also seeks to address several challenges which had previously been identified as factors which keep learners out of school and also contribute to high dropout rate. For instance, Section 6(5) makes it a criminal offence for any parent or a guardian of a child of a school attending age who fails to take such child to school. 187. Section 11 of the Children Protection and Welfare Act 2011 which provides that a learner must not be expelled from school on account of pregnancy or attendance of an initiation school. 188. The Education Act prohibits corporal punishment in schools. 189. The Education Act also provides for inclusion of learners with disabilities in the mainstream education system. Administrative measures 190. Over and above the legislative measures detailed above, the following policies and strategies have been put in place in order to effectively implement free and compulsory education in Lesotho and also to ensure inclusive education of learners with disabilities: 80