The Future of Education: The Task Ahead

Opinion

Whenever the middle class withdraws from state institutions, whether in education or health, it leads to a decline in standards for the wider population and contributes to the erosion of the welfare state

By Sada Reddi

At a recent book launch at Henessy Park Hotel, Prime Minister Dr N. Ramgoolam expressed the wish to see a human and liberal education that contributes to the development of the individual and his well-being in a holistic manner. A few days earlier, at the national forum on education, Minister of Education Mahend Gungapersad stated his intention to usher in a new era in education, where children will be equipped to face the vicissitudes of life.

Since the advent of the new government, various pronouncements by the minister have expressed his determination to overhaul the educational system and frequently refer to equitable access to quality education, inclusive education, and an educational system with an environment that is welcoming and supportive for all learners.

This is not surprising, as Education ministers worldwide, and here in Mauritius too, have been advocating inclusive education. However, inclusiveness has been interpreted differently in different countries and environments, ranging from providing education for all at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels to providing education for all learners in the same school.

All these issues came into consideration – directly and indirectly – at the national forum attended by thousands of educators, rectors, managers, and directors from more than 1,000 educational establishments catering to early education, primary, secondary, and vocational sectors.

While many feel that the conference could have been organized and structured differently, giving different stakeholders more opportunities to discuss issues in some depth and share their ideas, nevertheless, the 200 recommendations made at the conference, in addition to proposals made online as well as the few papers diligently prepared by dedicated educators, will provide a solid base for reforming the educational system.

Others may deplore the absence of papers by academics, but this is not a serious flaw, as there are very few up-to-date action research projects on the Mauritian educational system, and the few that exist have been published and are familiar to stakeholders.

One must always remember that action research in our schools faces many bureaucratic hurdles from the ministry, and the few works on local education often rely on data smuggled from teacher trainees for researchers, which are not always reliable.

Overall, the national gathering of educators and managers at various levels has provided the minister with the legitimacy to embark on and implement reforms. However, in the 200 recommendations publicly approved, there was no opportunity to rank their importance or establish priorities in each subsector. There were even criticisms that the recommendations in one breakout session emanated from only one person.

With the ministry being tasked with drawing up the list of priorities for the short, medium, and long term, there is always the risk that priorities established by the ministry may run counter to what the stakeholders have in mind. Anyway, one will have to wait for the budget to know which priorities have been accepted and what level of funding they will receive for the year to come.

As many observers have highlighted, the major task ahead is implementation. In the first place, it will require the collaboration and support of several ministries, such as Planning, Finance, Health, Social Integration, and others. The reason is simple and obvious: the education system is a microcosm of society, and our society is generally sick, with societal problems invading our schools as never before and overwhelming our education personnel at all levels.

For example, the Minister of Health has reported that 50,000 to 100,000 people are enrolled in methadone treatments. More than 1,000 people were arrested for drugs between December 2024 and March 2025. Corruption, indiscipline, and violence are rife in our society, and in a small country, they have impacted the population, generating anxiety and stress. All these problems have impacted our school system.

The minister thus faces an uphill task, and despite his goodwill and determination, there is a lingering doubt about whether his ministry will be able to cope with the challenges unless there is an overhaul of the ministry itself and a drastic change of mindset in the personnel. What led to that doubt is not the unjustified criticisms or allegations sometimes levelled at officials, but the strong evidence of inefficiency and waste pointed out by the Director of Audit. This does not concern only one ministry, but all our institutions.

A reading of the report of the National Audit Office shows many of the failings, some justified, others not, and provides specific recommendations to address the various issues. For example, a project to provide internet connectivity in 162 schools resulted only in connectivity in 47 classrooms, and the Rs 140 million allocated in the budgets for 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 remained unutilized. The ministry’s response to this failure was the complexity of the projects, financial constraints, and the interdependence of the ministry on other ministries for implementation.

While the audit report clinically lists the shortcomings of the Ministry of Education that need to be addressed, ministry officials are not always to blame, as often political decisions are imposed on them to implement without due consideration of implications, consequences, or even resources, both financial and human.

It is well known that many political decisions imposed in the past have been failures. The setting up of Form VI and Form I to V state colleges had to be abandoned, as one example. Regionalization and the abolition of ranking – intended to reduce pressure on pupils for their well-being – merely transferred competition from the national to the regional level, with the emergence of regional star colleges. At present, Primary School Achievement Certificate (PSAC) and National Certificate of Education (NCE) examinations have intensified pressure for primary to secondary pupils, giving a strong boost to the private tuition industry.

Prevocational education is another failure, though it was intended as a step towards inclusive education. It is well known that at the management meetings of the ministry, there was strong opposition to the Extended Programme, but opposition was overruled by ministerial decision, resulting in much harm to the lives of thousands of pupils. Similarly, the Foundation Programme is just another initiative from one environment hastily copied and pasted into other diversified environments, but this time there will be no summative evaluation, so any failure of the programme will be hidden from public view, and those who do not reach the level to join IVTB courses will be left in the wilderness.

Luckily, parents know what is best for their children, and many informed parents have found it better for their children to repeat Grade VI rather than register for the Foundation Programme. Currently, in many state colleges, there are very few pupils in Grade VII, and only a few in Grades VIII and IX. They are taught by subject specialists, while ex-prevocational teachers, turned into facilitators, teach life skills. It is hoped that working with a smaller number of pupils will enhance their educational outcomes by offering quality teaching and personalized support to help them reach their full potential.

The overall decline in the quality of education over the past decade, coupled with a desire to spare children unnecessary stress and pressure, has led middle-class parents to turn to private education—explaining the exodus from state schools. Whenever the middle class withdraws from state institutions, whether in education or health, it leads to a decline in standards for the wider population and contributes to the erosion of the welfare state. At present, reversing this trend will be difficult—unless prompted by an economic downturn.

It is hoped that the minister will mobilize all available resources — including advice from the Education Planning Committee, input from other directors and inter-ministerial collaborators, and, importantly, the voices of parents and students — to plan effectively for the future. With a declining student population, he must seize every opportunity to realize his vision of an inclusive education system.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 25 April 2025