




































 Humanities and Social Science Research; Vol. 3, No. 3; 2020 
ISSN 2576-3024   E-ISSN 2576-3032 

https://doi.org/10.30560/hssr.v3n3p21 

 21 Published by IDEAS SPREAD 
 

The Effectiveness of NUL Programmes in Creating the Social 
Responsibility 

‘Malimpho Elsie Seotsanyana1 
1 Department of Language and Social Education, National University of Lesotho, Lesotho 
Correspondence: ‘Malimpho Elsie Seotsanyana, Department of Langauge and Social Education, National 
University of Lesotho, Lesotho. Address: P.O. Roma 180, Fax: 266-2234-0000. Orcid no. 0000-0001-7914-5365. 
E-mail: mseotsanyana yahoo.co.uk 
 
Received: July 17, 2020; Accepted: August 28, 2020; Published: September 1, 2020 
 
Abstract 
The employer’s views have been sought on the quality of the National University of Lesotho (NUL) programmes 
in relation to addressing the concept of social responsibility. The employers’ views were sought through observing 
the quality of performance of the NUL graduates at the workplace and at the community engagements. The NUL 
designed programmes that are expected to address the societal needs, hence the reason why it is important to find 
out whether the programmes that prepared the graduates for the workplace have a successful outcome. 
A total of 150 employers in the Lesotho Ministries of Education and Training as well as Local Government and 
chieftainship in three of the ten districts of Lesotho formed the sample of the study. A two part questionnaire with 
four point likert scale of strongly agree and strongly disagree; highly satisfied and highly dissatisfied was designed 
to find out information on the employers’ perceptions on the performance of the NUL graduates in relation to 
social responsibility. Frequency counts analysis with descriptive statistics was employed to indicate the results of 
the study. Research results confirmed that the NUL programmes have deficiencies in moulding all graduates with 
competence in social responsibility. It was observed that there were graduates that have achieved the social 
responsibility skills, but there are those graduates who still require further training on the issue of social 
responsibility. It is therefore recommended that the NUL should periodically review its programmes in order to 
prepare a well rounded graduate that could be a community developer. 
Keywords: The National University of Lesotho (NUL), social responsibility, employers’ perceptions, work place, 
Ministries of Education and Training and Local Government and Chieftainship 
1. Introduction 
Several studies, worldwide, have been conducted on higher education and social responsibility. This is to find out 
whether universities have adopted and integrated social responsibility issues to fulfil the needs of the societies. 
According to UNESCO document of 1995, higher education institutions are to address societal needs and produce 
graduates with a sense of civic responsibility who could apply the theory of their disciplines to local government 
issues. Specifically in the UNESCO document it is stated that the “aim should be to make higher education more 
responsive to the general problems facing humanity and needs of economic and cultural life and more relevant in 
the context of specific problems of a given region, country or community” (UNESCO, 1995, p. 21). 
The idea that higher education institutions should show social responsibility to humanity was emphasised in the 
1996 UNESCO declaration on higher education and social responsibility. In this declaration, it was stated that 
“higher education solely for personal development cannot be considered acceptable nowadays” (1996 UNESCO 
declaration in Ratto and Giufre, 2014, p. 232). But the “intellectual advancement of individual must be related also 
with the broader goals of sustainable development, poverty reduction poverty, peace and human rights” (Giuffre 
and Ratto, 2014, p. 232). As it seems one of the characteristics of higher education institutions is to “play a crucial 
role in creating knowledge societies” Ibid (p. 232) that would be involved in the development of their own 
communities. 
In 2005, Higher education institutions worldwide formed the Talloires network at Tufts, in France. This was the 
foundation of an international alliance specifically garnered to understand the social role of the universities. 
(www.tufts.edu.talloiresnetwork). The Talloires network grew up to 200 universities in membership worldwide. 
Its focus was on the promotion of civic roles and social responsibility of their member institutions as well as to 
deepen engagement with local and global communities (Weiss, 2016). And further indicates that “more and more 



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universities in the world are integrating social responsibility into their mission statements, including their research 
and teaching missions, arguing that higher education is better off when it gives back to the society that is 
responsible for funding it” and members of Talloires network rose up to 363 in 77 countries in 2016 (Weiss, 2016: 
unnumbered) 
The National University of Lesotho (NUL) is no exception to this issue. If the NUL has to instil social 
responsibility in its graduates, it must face up to change. It has to structure the learning environment to suit the 
analysis and action needed to build a healthy society. In other words, does the NUL in its programmes expose and 
provide its graduates with the information on social responsibility and practice? How are the programmes 
organised to meet the challenges of civic engagement and social responsibility? And is the NUL responsible for 
the social well being of the citizens? 
It is therefore the core business of this study to explore the key issues facing the NUL in the 21st century specifically 
on the theme of social commitment. The employers from the government ministries were the major source of 
information and by no means the only external stakeholders that can give their perceptions of NUL graduates and 
the impact of academic institution on social responsibility. The employers can further explain the link between the 
corporate vision and graduates educational background. 
2. Literature Review and Social Responsibility 
According to Bokhari (2017), social responsibility can be used interchangeably with other concepts such as social 
responsiveness, social performance, social responsible business, and corporate social responsibility, just to 
mention a few. In this study, social responsibility will be used more often than other related terms, not withstanding 
that other terms are not important. In that way, Social responsibility will be addressed in the context of a university 
– University Social Responsibility (USR). There are many definitions of social responsibility. One of them is that 
a university educates “participative citizens and become involved in civic activities related to the communities in 
which it operates and on international level” (Wigmore - Alvarez and Ruiz – Lozano, 2012, p. 480). In the same 
manner, Mohamed (2015: 2394) defines University social responsibility as “the accountability of establishing and 
maintaining an ethical approach of the management of university’s internal and external stakeholders, 
strengthening societal citizenship and commitment to society and providing services to local community…” The 
reports written by the University of Cape Town (2004) on social responsiveness explain social responsiveness as 
a promising tool that addresses challenges of a better society and broaden social responsibility issues (Favish, 
2005). According to these above mentioned definitions, there is a rationale to talk about university social 
responsibility in a country. With this understanding, it is often assumed that there are several issues that require 
social responsibility such as high social inequalities, unemployment, illiteracy, highly skilled labour force, drug 
and alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS, crime, homelessness and poverty. In this case Lesotho, like other countries expects 
and calls for new responsible actors who are the National University of Lesotho graduates. The graduates are the 
responsible actors that could curb the existing community and national problems and create a better society with 
little or no problems in the 21st century arena. 
But in this study, the concept university social responsibility will be emphasised. It defines the role of the 
universities in the development of a society. Clark (2004:1) is aware of the role of universities and social 
responsibility According to him: 

Universities around the world found themselves under increasing pressure to 
change the way they operate. Alert universities gradually recognised that they had 
to respond to profile rating new demands of government; industry, societal groups, 
while maintaining and improving their traditional field of research, teaching and 
student learning that become more complicated with every passing year. 

The National University of Lesotho, with its programmes it is argued, need to be aware of the world wide context 
of change. The vital role is to produce graduates who are capable of facing transitions, and under pressure to 
respond to changing national needs with shrinking national resources. They should also be capable of reflecting 
change assumptions about human development. It is indeed that the NUL is expected to quickly adapt and develop 
programmes of service to meet the rapidly changing customer expectations. In short, the NUL is “expected to 
spearhead the production of skilled manpower required to manage both public and private sectors” (Ayaya, 1997, 
p. 1) in order to build a healthy society. The issue of healthy society is also mentioned by Favish (2005) in his 
research. She found out that the importance of higher education institution is to “produce graduates who are 
capable of critical and creative thinking and who can also contribute to economic needs, meet diverse social needs 
and build vibrant civil society and consolidate democracy” page 2 of 4. 



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It is worth pointing out that growing discontent with the education system in a time of rising unemployment is not 
new. The type of education offered at the NUL has attracted numerous complaints from employers .Employers 
felt that school standards in basic skills were very low. There is a concern to make education more relevant to 
employment and the needs of the industry. Several people informally, over the air, and in news papers have a 
concern for the standards and criticism of the poor relationship between NUL and industry. One question asked is 
the very function of schooling suggesting that NUL does not provide the necessary skills. 
According to Jongbloed, Enders, and Salerno (2008), one of the key missions of Higher Education Institutions 
(HEI) is to become an instrument of change that provides necessary skills to the youth to make them adaptive, 
adaptable and transformative in order to reduce the rate of unemployment. It means that HEI should expand its 
activities beyond the mission of teaching and research. Probably it has to include lessons on service learning in 
order to serve the communities where they are situated. To them, the understanding is HEI should take into 
consideration the importance of partnership with surrounding communities and stakeholders. However, Wigmore 
– Alvarez and Ruiz – Lazano (2012) emphasise the need for universities to embark on research studies in the 
societies in order to get their needs. Such needs would be a guide towards the accomplishment of university social 
responsibility. In their words: 

The universities should be capable of assessing the needs of society as a whole 
And providing a solution for its problems in addition to contributing to its well 
being and social and human development … The University should educate 
participative citizens and become involved in civic activities related to the 
communities in which it operates and on international level p 480. 

The very function of the University learning, as it seems, is about knowledge and skills. Acquiring knowledge and 
skills in turn “promote socially responsible citizens” (wigmore – Alvarez and Ruiz – Lazano, 2012: 481) and be 
fully involved in the socio – economic development of their communities. As it seems universities are expected to 
give graduates learning abilities that make them adjust to new market changes and new technology and be much 
more for the society in solving their social and economic problems. In short, universities should provide learning 
that gives them abilities to solve problems. In conclusion, the understanding is that higher education institution 
should educate future citizens that would be more responsive to general problems of humanity. This being the case 
how is the NUL graduate in relation to solving the problems of humanity? A few examples of how universities 
address social responsibility can be read in the paragraphs that follow. 
2.1 The Case Studies about University Social Responsibility 
The literature comprises studies that have explored different ways that universities have integrated and 
implemented social responsibility in their curriculum and activities. For instance; Mohamed (2015) conducted an 
inquiry with twelve (12) vice deans from South Valley University (SVU) in Egypt. Mohammed (2015) indicates 
that the objective of the study was to find out whether there was an integration of social responsibility in the 
university activities such as: “vision, mission, values, goals and management systems; policies and provision of 
actions, evaluation of services; and development of social collaboration with stakeholders…” p 2400. Themes that 
emerged from the research are that SVU seemed to have received and integrated social responsibility activities. 
But, it had policies that lacked appropriate structure as well as specific budget to call on board all university 
stakeholders to participate. Further research was recommended in order to develop university social responsibility 
frame work that would work for all universities in Egypt. 
In a study of Dahan and Senol (2012), the inquiry was to find out whether University of Instabul Bilgi, Turkey has 
been successful in integrating social responsibility in its activities. Information was gathered through in depth 
interviews with two secretary generals of the university research centres. Additionally a deeper analysis of 
university documents such as students’ handbook, reports, unpublished reports, University evaluation reports, 
community outreach surveys, University research centres and action plans were viewed and analysed. The report 
indicated that Instabul Bilgi University had several social responsibility activities and several courses designed 
around social responsibility subject (Dahan and Senol, 2012). Therefore, the success of the Istanbul Bilgi 
University is said to be through: 

The role of management’s involvement and willingness in supporting and 
implementing social responsibility actions. In general management involvement 
and interest is an important signal to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other 
stakeholders that the institution’s citizenship engagement is an operational 
priority (Dahan and Senol, 2012: 102). 



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It is at the Instabul Bilgi University that social responsibility activities and several courses were designed such as 
“free educational lessons given to high school graduates – first level English and computing, computer accounting, 
community outreach programmes, educational supportive activities for women and children and youth who live 
under severe social discrimination and poverty and business ethics” (Dahan and Senol, 2012, p.  101). It is 
concluded that though the University has commitment on the academic activities, but it also seems to concentrate 
its efforts on community engagement activities that are beneficial to the community at large.  
In Jerusalem, at the Hebrew University Faculty of Law, the status of social responsibility and implementation was 
explored. The outcome was that social responsibility in a form of community service is highly practised (case 
studies presentation at the Taillores, 2005 conference) “some community engagement is part of the formal 
curriculum.” According the Hebrew University presentations of 2005 and 2018 at the Taillores conferences, There 
is a unit of social involvement with a social involvement committee where Faculty members and staff are involved 
in preparing graduates in four leadership programmes namely: social leadership, Arab – Jewish leadership, women 
leadership and educational leadership.  
Furthermore, the Hebrew University has other activities such as university students provide high school students 
with knowledge and skills on handling the matriculation examination. The high school students are also guided on 
the selection of relevant university courses. In each curriculum, as indicated, the Hebrew University integrates 
four hours of community engagements such as in the dental health and nutrition where participation is said to be 
mandatory (Case studies presentation at the 2005 Taillores conference). 
And lastly, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University has developed an alliance with the community. A motto that 
cherishes social responsibility is “to learn and to apply for the benefit of mankind” (Tong, 2017: unpaged). This 
means the University has reviewed its programmes to incorporate the elements of community engagements. As it 
seems, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University has research as the integral part of academic life that helps them 
serve the needs of the society. In conclusion, the idea of social responsibility in universities is twofold. There are 
universities that are active in promoting social responsibility in the teaching and learning. At the same time, there 
are those that have an idea of the concept but are not so active in fulfilling its needs. 
2.2 Research Questions 
Two research questions that were addressed in this study are as follows: 

1. Do NUL graduates in employers’ supervision show knowledge and practice on the concept of social 
responsibility? 
2. What relevant features do employers detect that show incorporation of social responsibility knowledge as 
far as community engagement is concerned? 

3. Methodology 
3.1 Research Design 
This is an employer survey that adopted the qualitative paradigm, though certain data was analysed quantitatively 
through descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages. 
The focus was on two ministries: the Ministry of Education and Training, Local Government and chieftainship. 
The key issue of selecting the two ministries was that they have the highest number of employer constituencies, 
and have employed a large number of NUL graduates as these are the biggest ministries.. Additionally the two 
ministries are fully involved in the activities of community engagement and development. They both serve people 
even at the nation’s grass roots in the rural areas. Hence the NUL graduates’ knowledge and practice of social 
responsibility could be easily detected.  
In each of the ministries, a total of seventy five (75) employers were purposively selected. It should be clear that 
only those employers that had NUL graduates in their departments were subjected to selection. Therefore, a total 
of one hundred and fifty employers formed the total sample of the study. In the Ministry of Education and Training, 
the following formed the set of employers: the head teachers, deputy head teachers, and heads of departments in 
schools as well as the Ministry of Education and Training officers : curriculum officers, education inspectors, and 
chief education officers.. While in the Ministry of Local Government, heads of divisions, human resource directors, 
and immediate supervisors were consulted.  
The information on the employers’ perceptions was sought through the use of a questionnaire. This employer 
questionnaire was divided into two parts namely; the first part was on the rating items specific for employment 
practice, while the second part was on community engagements. On the first part of the questionnaire that described 
employment practice, items were designed and rated on the 4 point likert scale type of strongly disagree, disagree, 



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agree and strongly agree. And the second part of the questionnaire on community engagements, items was also 
rated on the four point likert scale of highly satisfactory, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, and highly unsatisfactory.  
Several questions on the employer and community engagements questionnaire were adopted from the inventory 
tool for higher education civic engagement. This is a tool that Watson (2004) developed. It was designed for the 
Association of Commonwealth Universities to explore the involvement of universities in imparting social 
responsiveness concept to the students. Of the 30 items from this tool that were rated, only 12 were adopted for 
use to assess the National University of Lesotho graduates. The selected items are shown in the analysis section 
under research question one and two in the forth coming paragraphs. Furthermore, the questions were developed 
to seek information on the graduates’ knowledge and understanding of social responsibility activities.  
The self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 150 employers at their work places in the Ministry of 
Education and Training and Local Government and Chieftainship. Each respondent was given a maximum of five 
days to read and complete the questionnaire. Where there was a possibility of an immediate response, it was 
preferably accepted. It was not easy to collect a hundred percent response. At later days after examining the data, 
further classifications of the responses were requested. On this occasion, three districts were selected e.g. Mohale’s 
Hoek, Butha-Buthe and Maseru. These are the districts that were used in the previous study on the evaluation of 
NUL programmes using the graduates’ views. The results found in the three districts were put together to get the 
analysis and conclusions on the issue of social responsibility.  
Two groups of employers, 20 in a group, were randomly selected to respond to the pilot study. This was to find 
out if the instrument to be used is valid and reliable in order to yield successful results. The first group responded 
to the pilot test and the results were analysed. A further pilot study was undertaken with the second group in order 
to find out if the results of the second group would yield similar or different to those of the first group. The two 
pilot test results seemed similar. Therefore, it could be concluded that the instrument, if used properly, would give 
valid and reliable results. Several researchers, such as Sekaran and Bougie (2013) emphasise the importance of 
content validity and stability measures in research studies, and they say with the consideration of validity and 
reliability, results become consistent. 
3.2 Analysis of Data 
In responding to two research questions on page 5 that read: do NUL graduates in employer’s supervision show 
knowledge and practice on the concept of social responsibility? and what relevant features do employers detect 
that show incorporation of social responsibility knowledge and practice as far as community engagements are 
concerned? Frequency of response analysis was adopted. According to Maliyamkono (1982, p. 11), frequency of 
response analysis is a simple technique which is useful for accumulating data on specific topics. It might be vital 
to know the percentages of employers in two ministries combined. It may also be useful for examining the 
perceptions of different employers on what impact has the NUL curricula given to its graduates on social 
responsibility. In general, frequency response analysis is useful for providing a summary of information contained 
in the questionnaire.  
4. Ethical Consideration 
The ethical consideration was also considered when involving participants in the study. This was to make them 
feel free to respond to the research items. First, a memorandum was written and distributed to the employers that 
had been selected to be in the study. In the memorandum the nature of the research was introduced, permission to 
undertake research study was also requested. Second, employers were asked to participate in the research study. 
In the memorandum, participants were also given freedom to accept or decline the request. Last, employers were 
asked to give the information about the research study to the NUL graduates employed in their institutions because 
they are at the centre of information. 
5. The Findings 
The analysis in this research study was done in accordance with the research questions as stipulated in page (5). 
The first research question reads as thus: 
5.1 Research Question 1 
Do NUL graduates in your supervision show knowledge and practice on the concept of social responsibility? 
In order to get information on the above mentioned research question, 6 items were selected and rated on a scale 
of strongly disagree as (1) to strongly agree as (4). The items that got rated are as follows: graduates’ desire to 
achieve, effective communication, graduates’ willingness to learn and continue learning, respect for management 



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and taking orders, use of theory into practice, and attainment of service learning. The items are presented from 
table 1 and 2 showing frequency counts.  
 
Table 1. Items related to administrative issues in the ministries 

 NUL graduates desire to 
achieve 

Graduates’ effective 
communication 

Graduates willingness to 
learn and continue learning

Ratings Frequency and percentages Frequency and percentages Frequency and percentages 
Strongly disagree 17 (11.3%) 10 (6.8%) 7 (4.7%) 
Disagree 26 (17.3%) 32 (21.9%) 29 (19.5%) 
Agree 89 (59.3%) 83 (56.8%) 81 (54.4%) 
Strongly agree 18 (12 .0 %) 21 (14.4%) 32 (21.5%) 
TOTAL 150 (100%) 146 (100%) 149 (100%) 

Note: Tables in this paper may not add up to a total of 150 participants since the analysis focused on the available 
responses. 
 
5.1.1 NUL Graduates’ Desire to Achieve 
Table 1 reveals that employers’ ratings on NUL graduates’ desire to achieve vary. For example, some employers 
rated NUL graduates positively (12%) and (59.3%) on strongly agree and agree respectively with the idea that 
NUL graduates have the desire to achieve, while 17.3% on disagreed and 11.3% of the respondents strongly 
disagreed. Though a large percentage of respondents agree with the item on the desire to achieve, there is still a 
significant cumulative percentage of (28.6) that indicates that NUL graduates do not have the enthusiasm to 
achieve. At this point, one may argue that perceptions about desire to achieve may depend on the individual frame 
of reference. That is, one cannot really know if the desire to achieve has been perceived similarly by all respondents. 
Probably there is need to get further perceptions from those employers that have a contrary response to the desire 
to achieve. 
5.1.2 NUL Graduates’ Effective Communication 
The NUL graduates effectively communicate their ideas as shown by (71.2 %) on agree and strongly agree. On 
other hand, (28.7%) of the respondents seemed to disagree with the fact that NUL graduates can effectively 
communicate ideas at work. From the respondents’ perspectives, one important aspect could be deduced here that, 
despite the shortcomings of some of the graduates on the issue of effective communication, a large number of 
graduates communicate well. However, there is still need to improve the university education on effective 
communication in order to achieve greater success. 
5.1.3 NUL Graduates’ Willingness to Learn and Continue Learning 
The employers’ opinions seem to differ in regard to willingness to learn and continue learning. The (4.7%) and 
(19.3%) strongly disagree and disagree respectively that NUL graduates have the willingness to learn and continue 
learning. On the other hand, (54%) and (23.3%) positively agree and strongly agree with the issue. If (24% ) of 
the graduates still have problems in long life learning of issues at work, it seems quite appropriate to pay attention 
to and review the programmes of study to enhance the capacity of graduates to perform duties effectively. One 
would assume that there are graduates that have not been exposed enough to the idea of continuous learning even 
after university training. At this juncture, much has to be done by the University to create a programme that would 
work as a strategy to connect university teaching and the world of work. 
Table 2 below still follows the trend whether graduates cope with activities of the work place. The items that were 
rated on a four point likert scale are: respect for management and taking orders, use of theory into practice, and 
attainment of service learning as shown in the table. 
 
Table 2. Further expansion on the administrative duties in the ministries 

 Respect for management and taking 
orders 

Use of theory into 
practice 

Attainment of service 
delivery 

Ratings    
Strongly 
disagree 

6 (4.1%) 8 (5.6%) 11 (7.6%) 



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Disagree 36 (24.0%) 30 (21.0%) 27 (18.6%) 
Strongly agree 86 (57.3%) 86(60.1%) 87 (60%) 
Agree 18 (12.0%) 19 (13.3%) 20 (13.8%) 
TOTAL 146 (100%) 143 (100%) 145 (100%) 

 
5.1.4 Respect for Management and Take Orders 
Although the employers differ in opinion as far as respect of management and taking orders is concerned, NUL 
has exposed the majority of the graduates to the importance of respect for management and taking orders. For 
instance, 69.3 percent combined (on 12 % strongly agree and 57% agree respectively) have scored positively on 
the issue. Moreover, the fact that the majority of employers applaud NUL most graduates on the understanding of 
the administrative issues shows that graduates have been exposed to the rationale of the corporate administration 
and activities. For the graduates who failed to understand the rationale of respecting management and taking orders: 
28% combined on (4% strongly disagreed and 24% disagreed) may result from two issues. First, it may be through 
the problem of the learning principles. That is, how one correlates the acquired learning and skills appropriate to 
the workplace. Second, it also depends on individual’s character and willingness to learn. It means such graduates 
did not have the opportunity to practice/assimilate various strategies in relation to workplace administrative issues 
while still training. As it seems, NUL programmes, if they prepare graduates to succeed in the workplace, should 
carry an element of work place expectations in them as a way of exposing the graduates to all workplace activities.  
5.1.5 Use of Theory to Practice 
The research results in this table determine that there is a significant number of employers that translate that 
university teaching and learning is beneficial to graduates as far as use of theory to practice is concerned. A 
cumulative analysis of (73.4%) on agree and strongly agree shows that a high proportion of respondents confirmed 
that NUL graduates actually use theory they have learned to help them cope with practice at the workplace. It gives 
an idea that theoretical knowledge and skills acquired through their four year schooling facilitates effectiveness at 
the workplace in production and communication. The idea of theory into acquisition of skills is translated by 
Jongbloed, Enders, and Salerno (2008)’s writings that students should be equipped with the basic skills at the 
training in order to do the job well. However, (25.3%) has actually declined that they disagree and strongly disagree 
with the fact that NUL graduates use theory to help them acquire the workplace practices. The (25%) on disagree 
and strongly requires NUL to popularize the translation theory into practice as far as work preparation is concerned. 
This might give them office work and community engagements aspects.  
5.1.6 Attainment of Service Learning 
0n graduates’ attainment of service learning highlights the differences in opinion among the respondents. 
Attainment of service learning has been scored high (73.8%) on agree and strongly agree. The respondents seem 
contend with the way NUL graduates have been prepared to do proper service at the work place. On the other hand, 
a total of 26.2% did not agree that NUL equips its graduates with appropriate and proper skills of service learning. 
Comparing the two responses, it is revealed that learning might have been perceived differently by graduates. In 
the process of learning it seems, there were those students who considered classroom content to prepare them for 
the place of work. There were also those who never connected the classroom teaching and learning with activities 
at the workplace. The fault here lies with the National University of Lesotho. Although, a high percentage of 
graduates seem to have attained high standard of competence as expected on service learning. But there is a number 
that does not excel in service learning. This indicates that studies should be carried out in order to explore factors 
which might be detrimental to preparing students for service learning. 
5.2 Research Question 2 
Tables 3 and 4 that follow give an analysis of the collected data on research question two that says: What relevant 
features do employers detect that show incorporation of social responsibility as far as community engagement is 
concerned? 
 
Table 3. Ratings on Community engagements 

 NUL graduates 
participation in community 
projects 

Graduates relationship with 
members of the community 

Graduate volunteer 
activities among the 
community 

Ratings Frequency and percentages Frequency and percentages Frequency and percentages



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Highly 
satisfactory 

23 (15.6%) 20 (13.7%) 23 (15.6%) 

Satisfactory 63 (42.9%) 79 (54.1%) 54 (36.7%) 
Unsatisfactory 50 (34.0%) 41 (28.1%) 61 (41.5%) 
Highly 
unsatisfactory 

11 (7.5%) 6 (4.1%) 9 (6.1%) 

TOTAL 147 (100%) 146 (100%) 147 (100%) 
 
5.2.1 Participation in Community Projects 
The evidence in Table 3 suggests that the NUL programmes have an impact on the graduates. That is, 58.5% (on 
highly satisfactory and satisfactory combined) of the respondents indicate satisfaction towards NUL graduates’ 
participation in community projects. Employers are aware of programmes’ activities and that the programmes have 
contributed significantly to the graduates, not only in the classroom, but also socially and otherwise. It looks like 
the programmes have enabled the graduates to see themselves as having the necessary abilities to participate 
meaningfully in community projects. However, a total of (41.5%) respondents did not view the NUL programmes 
as having effective instruction as far as participation in community development is concerned. A question that 
could be asked is that: how can NUL programmes be said to be good in preparing graduates in participating in 
community development when 41.5% (on both highly unsatisfactory and unsatisfactory) still lack skills towards 
social commitment. At this point one may assume that effort has to taken in the programme activities to increase 
the number of graduates that would contribute significantly to community participation if the intention of the 
country is geared towards development. 
5.2.2 Relationship with Members of the Community 
In comparison, employer analysis indicates highly satisfaction and satisfaction of the NUL graduates’ relationship 
with members of the community. This is rated by (67.8%) of the respondents. It is also evident from the employers’ 
ratings that there is some dissatisfaction and highly dissatisfaction (32.2%) with the way NUL programmes do not 
prepare graduates to interact with the community. The reluctance to interact with the community could be that 
graduates at the preparation did not acquire knowledge, skills and understanding in general community 
involvement and commitment.  
5.2.3 Volunteer Activities among the Community 
Two aspects are raised up in this table. First, employers (53.3%) rate NUL graduates as people who value 
volunteering activities among the community. This is a way of showing the commitment to duty of the graduates. 
Second, a slightly lesser percentage (46.7) considers NUL graduates inability to volunteer activities among the 
community. It turns out once again that NUL programmes have both significant positive and significant negative 
effect as far as community engagement is concerned. Though there is a higher percentage of graduates with skills 
positive and understanding of community engagements, but the fact that (46.7%) have no interest in community 
problems and slightly displays less commitment to community engagements. Probably the university seems to 
stress academic learning and ignores the learning for practice. Perhaps this may be the reason they are unable to 
volunteer work with the community. According to Tong (2017), working with the community is an important issue 
that deserves an attention. One recommendation is that NUL needs to modify and refine its programmes in order 
to produce effective and competent graduates who could appreciate to volunteer work with the community. Also, 
there is need for the University to have a written policy in the initial students’ preparation in line with community 
engagement.  
Table 4 is a continuation of employers’ perceptions of NUL graduates’ involvement in community engagement. 
This is rated on the following items: NUL graduates interest in work community cooperation, graduates awareness 
of the changing institutional needs and sharing resources and graduates always active in the work that serves the 
nation. 
 
Table 4. Further ratings on community engagements 

 Interest in work 
community 
cooperation 

Awareness of the changing 
institutional needs and shrinking 
national resources 

Always active in the 
work that serves the 
nation 

Ratings Frequency and Frequency and percentage Frequency and 



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Percentage Percentage 
Highly 
Satisfactory 

21 (14.0%) 18 (12.0%) 17 (11.4%) 

Satisfactory 68 (45.3%) 83 (55.3%) 57 (38.2%) 
Unsatisfactory 48 (32.0%) 35 (23.3%) 64 (42.7%) 
Highly 
unsatisfactory 

13 (8.7%) 13 (8.7%) 11 (7.3%) 

TOTAL 150 (100%) 150 (100%) 149 (100%) 
 
5.2.4 Interest in Work Community Cooperation 
The majority of the respondents (59.3%) have indicated that NUL graduates show interest in work community 
cooperation and also have commitment to work with surrounding community on issues and problems. The fact 
that NUL have interest with community cooperation is an indication of gaining an independent mind and positive 
attitudes, probably from the classroom instruction. It appears that the classroom instruction instilled some measure 
of change in the graduates to perform better at work. On the contrary, a statement can be made that NUL has failed 
to prepare students to meet the challenges in their workplaces. This is clearly visible through a 
(40.7%) respondents that have specified its negativity as far as interest in community cooperation is concerned. It 
is understandable, therefore, that some programmes do not emphasise in their learning knowledge and skills in 
community engagement and involvement. Alternatively, it could be said that the non – participation in community 
cooperation reveals that the type of attitudes that individual graduates have, do not assist him/ her to work with 
the community.  
5.2.5 Are NUL Graduates Aware of the Changing National Needs and Shrinking National Resources? 
Shrinking resources centralise around national needs and references. As a result, it is assumed that teaching might 
have been effective in helping graduates with information and knowledge on changing national needs and 
shrinking resources. On the other hand, most graduates might have been keen to learn the details on the national 
needs and resources. That is why the issue was rated highly satisfactory and satisfactory by (67.3%) respondents. 
However, (32%) were still dissatisfied and highly dissatisfied on the way graduates do not have a close look at the 
national needs and shrinking resources. This means that the classroom situation has failed to give an impact on the 
graduates to realise the need of understanding the country’s economic status. 
5.2.6 Always Active in the Work that Serves the Nation? 
Again, there was no clear indication of whether or not NUL graduates are always active in the work that serves 
the nation. This is Close to half of the respondents (49. 6%) who indicated satisfied and strongly satisfied with the 
way NUL graduates activities that serve the nation. While the other half (50%) indicated that they were not at all 
satisfied with inappropriate handling of activities towards serving the nation. This is the only category that shows 
a significant percentage of negative response. In a case where half of the respondents are not satisfied with the 
way graduates operate at the workplace means that a lot has to be done in relation to educating all those who are 
going for employment to improve their actions specifically those who would definitely work with the people. This 
could suggest that they should participate in community engagements, and be exposed to the variety of work 
related issues, such as a new course that connects the university and the world of work. 
6. Discussion 
The analysis in this study gives insights regarding the status of the NUL programmes as far as preparing students 
for social responsibility is concerned. On one hand, the analysis shows that there are a number of positive responses 
attributable to NUL programmes in contributing to social responsibility. The positive outcomes are realized on 
each of the items used to inquire about social responsibility. On the other hand, the analysis indicates that the NUL 
programmes of study have areas of concern that warrant a closer look especially with community engagements. 
The discussion on the analysis follows in the next paragraphs and will be related with the research questions: 
As previously indicated, the results of the study seem to support NUL programmes on administrative issues such 
as graduates desire to achieve, effective communication, willingness to learn and continue learning, respect for 
management and taking orders, use of theory into practice, and attainment of service learning. All the above 
mentioned items have scores rated over (70%) on agree and strongly agree combined (see Table 1 and 2). This 



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 30 Published by IDEAS SPREAD 
 

shows that the NUL programmes in them have concepts that are geared towards helping the graduates to be 
accommodated in the world of work and job market. 
Although the employers rated all the items on administrative issues high, the most popular and positive items are 
willingness to learn and continue learning, readiness for service and use of theory into practice. But, the same 
employers seem to be dissatisfied with NUL programmes that still fail to prepare some of the graduates for the 
world of work. This is evidenced in their ratings of some of the items of around (30%) on disagree and strongly 
disagree combined (See Table 1 and 2). This means that the NUL still has to refine programmes that will be 
suitable for moulding graduates for what they are expected to do. With this type of rating, it means that some 
graduates still lack knowledge and confidence to act appropriately at the workplace. Certain, without the sound 
understanding of the workplace, it creates serious doubts about the effectiveness of NUL programmes. 
The results of the study on community engagements also seem to support NUL programmes. The ratings are all 
above (+50 %) on community engagements such as participation in community projects, graduates relationship 
with the members of the community, graduate volunteer activities among the community, graduates interest in the 
community work and cooperation, awareness of institutional needs and sharing resources. But the item on 
graduates always active in the work that serves the nation has been scored closely equal (49.6%) on satisfied and 
highly satisfied with (50%) on dissatisfied and highly dissatisfied. It gives the idea that some employers are 
dissatisfied with the way the programmes prepare the students on the desire to serve the nation. It suggests that 
students in their training be made to participate in community engagements and exposed to the variety of work 
related issues. Alternatively, a new course that connects the University and the world of work would be beneficial 
to the institution. 
7. Conclusion 
This is an evaluation study. The goal of the study was to seek social responsibility initiatives in the NUL 
programmes. Data was sought on two research steams namely; administrative and community engagements issues. 
There are valuable insights depicted from the responses that indicate the nature of integration of social 
responsibility in the NUL programmes. As it seems, graduates have been equipped with knowledge and skills that 
fit the nature of the workplace. This is indicative of the employers who rated all the subsidiary items on the 
administrative issues at the workplace very high (+70%) on agree and strongly agree combined on issues of desire 
to achieve, effective communication, willingness to learn and continue learning, respect for management and 
taking orders, use of theory into practice, and attainment of service learning. 
The frequency counts analysis converted into percentages reveals positive responses to the following items relating 
to community engagements: participation in community projects, relationship with members of the community, 
volunteer activities among the community, interest in work community cooperation and awareness of the 
institutional needs and shrinking national resources. These entire subsidiary items mentioned above, have scored 
higher than (50%) on satisfactory and highly satisfactory combined. The exception is on the item; readiness to 
serve the nation that has scored less than (50%) on satisfactory and highly satisfactory. 
In summary, as it seems, the NUL in its strategic planning has important issues and methods that allow the 
achievement of social responsibility activities. It means that the university has echoed its vision, mission, values, 
and organisational structure with social responsibility initiatives because most employers seem positively satisfied 
about the provision of knowledge and skills. However, the University still carries a lion’s share of blame regarding 
those graduates that are identified as incompetent who could neither act appropriately at the workplace nor in 
community engagements. Probably, the NUL has to refine its programmes to accommodate every individual and 
promote responsible citizens who could fruitfully become involved at the workplace, local community and the 
world at large. 
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