The National University of Lesotho (NUL) campus in Roma was estabished by the Roman Catholic Church as Lesotho’s first tertiary education institution in 1945.
Its original name was the Pius XII Catholic University College. In addition to new buildings, NUL still occupies the same structures in the original grounds of Pius XII College.
The University became an intellectual melting point and attracted students from across southern and central Africa.
In 1964, the Church ceded its controlling stake and the University became jointly owned by the three protectorates of Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland. Upon independence of the three, it became the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (UBLS).
In 1975, Chief Leabua Jonathan’s government engineered a takeover of the University through an Act of Parliament. Botswana and Swaziland lost their stake and it became known exclusively as the National University of Lesotho.
The University library was constructed in 1964 and is named after Thomas Mofolo, arguably Lesotho’s greatest author.
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