Motivation for the naming of student residences at the National University of Lesotho

Abstract

(NUL) dates as far back as 1945 when the then Pius XII College was founded at Roma by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy of Southern Africa. Since 1945, various major developments in the history of the university have taken place in terms of both physical infrastructure development and growth in student enrolment. By 1963, the student population and staff had grown to a considerable number, leading to the construction of staff houses, a kitchen and refectory, a modern science block, administrative buildings, workshops, a garage and a power plant. With the increasing numbers of students, the construction of student residences became inevitable. Currently, there are eight male and five female halls of residence at NUL for undergraduate students. The male residences are Africa, Chancellor, Freedom, Khotso, Machabeng, Mswati, Murtala and Tšepo, while the female residences are Africa, Canada (CIDA), Guilbeault, Khama and 'Masenate. In addition, there is a residence for postgraduate students, known as German Embassy. This paper shows that the naming of these residences was motivated by different factors, including the significance of some of the names to Lesotho as a nation and to NUL as an institution. The paper further reveals that NUL as a public institution is sensitive to its relations with stakeholders and the outside world at large, and deliberately makes use of names which could impact positively on the image of the institution in one way or another. The paper thus concludes that behind the name given to every student residence at NUL lies a motivation which could be political, cultural and/or social, and that these names actually serve as a reflection of the cultural and collective identity of NUL.