A good academic achievement has been the prime and leading objective of schools. Traditionally, students and parents alike expect and look forward to such an outcome from the schooling process. However, life and expectations from individuals have moved on and the education processes have changed dramatically.

Good result in academic subjects is not sufficient and not satisfactory these days, as the demands of life must be supported by an educational outcome that prepares people for a modern world. How far good academic achievements are valued today? Do we need our children to be confident and competent individuals first and foremost? Should we concentrate on interpersonal skills development as well as academic progress? Do we value people for their academic achievement or for who they are, how they interact and what they represent? This paper examines some of these issues to revisit the purpose of schools and education and to introduce and instil some innovative ideas within the mauritian education system.

IQ and EQ

Traditionally the Mauritian education system has focused on improving the academic ability of our students. It is important to realise what we mean by ?academic ability?. It is a multi-dimensional memory construction and theoretical reasoning which improves recall and problem solving. The way the education system is in Mauritius and the teaching methods used have encouraged mastery at a theoretical intensity and not at a substantive level.

This type of education system improves the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of students. We can all recall how keen we are to test and augment our IQ as students and adults. This is because IQ has been held up as a mark of intelligence. Our education system has been sucked in by this incessant desire to improve IQ. MENSA is still around and boasts a series of bright people. This is what many education systems want to emulate without realising that this is indeed a very narrow aim of education.

IQ is not a key to manage oneself, manage situations, manage others, families, and develop through lifelong learning. Modern education system, in tune with the modern lifestyles, is a system that integrates theories into practice, helps students to learn pragmatic approaches and gives an opportunity for students to generate theories from practice and experience. This is about integrating learning, living and situations to move on in life as people, as professionals and as contributors to knowledge development. This is an era for immersing ourselves in reflective practice and not theoretical modelling. To this end, people need Emotional Intelligence (widely known as EQ). So what is EQ? How can we identify whether we have it? According to Dr Mayer of New Hampshire University and Dr Salovey of Yale, EQ is the ?psychological capacity for making sense of and using emotional information?. Emotional information is embedded in situations, in family life, in social encounters and reality. The abilities that show the presence of EQ are:

• self-awareness (language, feelings and needs); *self-motivation (internal emotional commitment to our goals powering our daily actions);
• wait to enjoy a long term goal rather than going for short term satisfaction;
• be hopeful and realistic; *development of coping mechanisms (from fury to contentment);
• sensitive and empathic to other people (convey this through our responses).

Thus, EQ is the capacity to notice, think about and make sense of and act on ?emotional information? from us and other people. This is by no means an exhaustive list but do we recognise some of these abilities in ourselves? If we do, then we must ask ourselves at what stage of our lives did we develop these abilities and how helpful they are to us? Again, if they were seen as helpful qualities, then if we had developed them at school as part of our learning process, would we be better individuals, better members of society, better managers and better parents? Would we be better prepared for life, for work and for serving society? Think about it! What is your gut reaction? This is what has been and is missing from our education system from kindergarten to university. EQ combines with IQ to give the full person. The equation is simple: IQ + EQ = WHOLE PERSON

Refocusing Education Policy

Education is about developing the individual and not part of the person. It is about augmenting the Multiple Intelligence profile of the individual and not only the IQ. If we are to inculcate and develop for example human values, then the whole education process has to be re-examined. Curriculum developers, education authorities, and the Ministry of Education (MoE) must ask the fundamental question: What is the purpose of our education system or schools or colleges? To develop the whole person or part of the person? If it is the whole person, then a holistic approach to education structures and curricula are integral. The reforms advanced so far by the MoE are superficial and do not address deeper and significant issues that will prepare the future citizens of Mauritius with the IQ and the EQ needed. The present Mauritian education system focuses only on IQ and therefore is only dealing with half what is required by the education system.

Thus, it could be said that our education policies are 50% in arrears as far as delivering the fruits of education are concerned.

So, what are the policies we need to produce the complete Mauritian? Researchers argue that success in life does not depend on IQ. I have argued previously that the laureate may not be the best thinker in town. It?s EQ that really counts. It is the EQ that makes the superperformers. Our educational policies should focus on development of: Logical and rational reasoning within the subjects taught at school. There needs to be more of Creative Education within the curricula and timetable of schools. In fact, the timetable must be reframed. There must be a clear policy directing schools to supplement their present strategies with Creative Education as a subject.

Musical intelligence: This is the ability to keep rhythm, remember, and compose music as displayed by musicians and composers. This should not be the domain of only Mahatma Gandhi Institute or similar institutions. It should become a norm within all schools. A policy to introduce music is overdue. Music is inspirational, it works at higher emotional levels and helps people to express themselves, face difficult situations and resolve conflict. It galvanises motivation and creativity.

Intrapersonal intelligence. Schools should endeavour by design to build the confidence of young people as individuals and the focus must be on developing children and youngsters to manage themselves through knowing and understanding their feelings, wishes, needs, wants and purpose. A deliberate and conscious policy must be advocated without delay if we are to redress the disintegration of self-motivation and refusal to work that is so apparent in Mauritius. Intrapersonal intelligence is about the revival of self-motivation, the capacity to delay our impulses if it will benefit us, to persist in tasks even if we hit a hard patch. As a professional developer, it is difficult to think of a field in which these capacities are not a prerequisite for high performance.

Interpersonal intelligence. This intelligence means that we have the capacity to be sensitive to other people?s emotions and psychological states and to choose how to respond appropriately. We can read the subtle currents in relationships, families, organisations, schools and become more empathic and clearer communicators.

Interpersonal intelligence is the component of EQ that lubricates the positioning of children and adults alike in groups, society and team performance. Thus, a policy which introduces clarification, teaching and development of interpersonal intelligence is very urgent. If we are genuinely interested in creating a more compassionate and less materialistic brand of mauritianism, then EQ must feature high on the MoE agenda.

The above suggestions need fundamental review of the curricula in the primary and secondary schools. Mauritius needs more innovative and creative educationalists with the know-how to design imaginative, reflective, and purposeful curricula for the new generation. Our future depends on education and it will be failing the people if the MoE fails to recruit educationalists of the right calibre.

Education and The Elephant Story

The multiple intelligence profile approach outlined above instils beliefs in our children and adults overall capacity as human beings. It is a belief of not only academic achievement but also a more socially and humanistically energised system of belief that people matter, environment is precious and our emotional intelligence is the key to our survival and progress. It is designed to maximise and consolidate the EQ. Professional developers work on belief systems. You might ask why we should work on beliefs and belief systems? Well, let me tell you the elephant story. Have you ever seen a picture or in Indian films an elephant tied to a piece of rope to a tree or branch? Think about it! What stops this massively strong animal from just walking away? It would not notice the tug as the tree or branch crashes down at the first pull. Yet, the elephant does not pull. Belief is what stops that from happening.

In India baby elephants are tethered by rope to a stake in the ground. At that stage, they are not strong enough to pull away and they learn to associate a rope with being restricted. Even if there is a most delicious looking branch of leaves 5 metres away, they won?t pull, because they believe they can?t. Ten years later and many tons heavier an elephant will still wait patiently for the rope to be untied. It will never test out and find that there has been a major change in the situation, namely that its own power and strength has simply exploded. Think about what it stops itself from achieving? Is Mauritius in a similar state?

This is how it is with humans too. We develop beliefs and a mindset towards things and our education and then we just carry on having them. Until we find out that it is stopping us from getting to our delicious branch. Mauritius has progressed and the economic boom has brought new delicious branches but our education system is stopping us from enjoying the delicious branches because we are facing rising crime rates, record frauds, regular stabbings and death through unlawful activities. Unlike the elephant, human beings do have the choice to snap the rope and not be tied to a tree that prevents us from realising our greater potential. It is time the MoE checks out its beliefs and mindset first to find out if it is tethering its Emotional Intelligence up with a flimsy piece of rope. Our education policies must move on and the basic beliefs within the policies have to be critically examined. These beliefs are like ropes around our personal and national power. If the MoE thinks about them; change any that do not apply now, it will pull its stake out of the ground and set the nation free. That is the ultimate aim of education and only then the MoE will have achieved something and the MoE would know where it?s going:

?If you don?t know where you are going, any road will take you there.?

(Mao Tse Tung)

Education policies must be shaped by overtly knowing where we are going in Mauritius. The difference in our educational outlook has been dictated by how the objectives and the exit routes have been thought out and written. The canniest tip that can be shared is by making and writing all goals S.M.A.R.T. Does this stand for:

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based objectives and policies or is it Super stretch, Massive, Awesome, Ridiculous and Terrifying? Which way do we want to go? There isn?t a published strategy from the MoE to inform the country of its direction. What is the secret? Mauritius needs more open government and the country needs to participate much more during policy formation. If this does not happen, the majority of the population will still be waiting for the rope to be untied just like the elephant. In the meantime, the greatest loser will be Mauritius in its development and its expanding role in the world. So, come on MoE, release the people. Education has the power to do it!

Integrated into reality

Schools as well as our Institutions of Higher Education must focus on the development of IQ and EQ. There must be a conscious and deliberate policy to fund research into the development of EQ into curricula at each and every stage of our schooling and into the institutions of higher education. Responsible authorities must not lose sight of the bigger prize in moving the population of Mauritius at all levels. We must not concentrate only on academics but the population at large. It is the way for development of human values in action and to integrate these values into reality.

Our educationalists in Mauritius should come out fighting and develop educational strategies to WoW (Win over the World) the population. They should stop ?winking in the dark? ? you know what you are doing but nobody else does! Our education system must be for all the people-children and adults alike. Thus, it is high time that we have an expansion of the post secondary education structures. The longer we neglect the parents, the more the children might suffer.

Dr Taleb Durgahee Field Leader, Professional Development