IN the context of a review prepared by a World Bank mission from March 20 ?April 2003, strong reservations were expressed as regards the results that have been achieved , with respect to reforms initiated by the present MSM-MMM government. The report states:

?Since reforms of this nature will necessarily span over more than one political cycle, there should be (a) broad agreement across political spectrum and the goals and priorities of the reform and (b) an effective communication of the government?s strategy, specifically through the use of mass media. These two conditions have not yet been met, bringing the risk that teachers and parents question some of the difficult and (sometimes) painful adjustment measures.?

Government?s decision to backpedal on its own decision about the computation of Asian-Oriental Languages, for grading purposes for the forthcoming 2004 CPE examinations, is yet another concrete example of the now established fire-fighting, crisis-management approach to fundamental issues connected with the reform of our educational system. This is further confirmation of the absence of a clearly defined, well-articulated vision that should be driving our educational system.

Shortcomings

The question that arises is whether Minister Obeegadoo is implementing a comprehensive educational reform programme or rather, he is just dealing with a number of specific problems with limited impact on the fundamental aspects of our educational system. Apart from his claims about the abolition of ranking and regionalisation to do away with the rat-race at CPE, there is not much that can be put to his credit. Even these measures are fraught with serious shortcomings.

There is still no sign of change in the pre-primary sector ? a vital sector in our educational system. There is still much confusion about Form V and Form V1 colleges and the partnership with the confessional schools has derailed, creating two categories of students ? those who have the opportunity to take advantage of Form 1 to V1 college education and those who have to change colleges after Form V. On this score, it will be interesting to compare results at HSC for colleges like RCC and RCPL,QEC, Maurice-Curé with those of St.- Esprit, St.-Joseph and the Loreto Colleges in the years ahead. As for the polytechnics and the tertiary sectors, the Ministry has yet to announce its recommended orientations. If Mr Obeegadoo is to lay claim to any achievement, the bilan is too meager and far from being impressive.

Leadership

In short, there is no sign of a coherent and comprehensive approach to educational reforms. Besides, the Minister is so entangled with problems within just one sector ? the primary sector ? and he is so preoccupied with mundane, day-to-day matters that he has no time or he is simply incapable to think clearly about the real priorities that needs to be addressed. (The obvious comparison that comes to my mind is the massive traffic jam problem that his colleague Mr Baichoo is laboriously trying to disentangle?without much success.) In consequence, our education system is suffering from an acute lack of leadership at all levels at a time when leadership is most required in this vital sector. The Minister is simply unable to provide the leadership required of a Minister to bring about long-term, far-reaching changes that are urgently required in the interests of our children and the nation at large.

Glaring mismatch and political arrangement of convenience

Our educational system continues to remain incongruous and irresponsive to the new realities of the day. It is inward-focused and disconnected with the new emerging realities of a global world, dominated by innovative and cutting-edge technologies and ever-growing competition. Although, in theory, the curriculum is supposed to be catering for these developments, in practice, there is glaring mismatch between the new realties of a fast changing, dynamic, knowledge ? based, IT dominated, digital environment and our present educational system and its objectives.

The new formula for the CPE 2004 examinations is a concrete example of a political arrangement of convenience to pacify short-term, narrow, sectorial interests at the expense of the longer-term, fundamental objectives of relevance and quality. The system continues to be inefficient and there is no sign of the reduction of the scourge of private tuition. Education, although free, has become extremely, further undermining the very notion of equity and equality of opportunities. Relevance, quality and equity ? the very hallmarks of any modern educational system ? are being perverted to satisfy pressure groups and sectoral considerations.

Broad-based education and rat race

The new CPE formula contradicts all the objectives that were defined and approved by this Government in its document entitled: Reforms in Education: Curriculum Renewal in the Primary Sector. It was intended that the primary curriculum will ?give our children a broad-based education that will promote their mental, physical, aesthetic, spiritual and cultural development and will prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.?

The document?s caveat was: For too long, the educational experience of our children has been a very distorted one limited to academics subjects that determine their future through access to the few ?star? schools.

With the new formula, obtaining the best grades in the four best subjects will be the new CPE mantra and even parents will have to sing the same mantra in order that their children access the so-called ?bons colleges.? Goodbye to Citizenship Education, The Arts, Health and Physical Education. And broad-based education. In any case, the logic that will prevail is why bother when all that is needed to guarantee a seat in the ?bons colleges? are the grades in the four best subjects? Even with regionalisation, the ?star? secondary schools syndrome among colleges is just theory. A simple comparison of the facilities and amenities available to the colleges will be very revealing of the disparities existing among our colleges. So welcome the rat race?thanks to the ?unchallengeable? formula of Mr Paul Bérenger, our Prime Minister.

Rules of the game

The Government consulted the State Law Office, but did they bother to take the views of the Mauritius Institute of Education ? the authority in pedagogical issues and the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate, the body concerned with examinations assessment? Mr Bérenger and his formula will, in course of time, destroy the fundamental objectives outlined in their own document on Curriculum Renewal in the Primary Sector. The collateral damage to subjects like Mathematics and English will be so serious that the very education and life prospects of the Mauritian child will be jeopardized. The other contradiction that will distort the whole grading exercise is the fact that Science, History and Geography are examined for one hour each whereas English, Mathematics and French have examinations lasting for one hour and forty five minutes each. But they are entitled to the same grading system as Science, History and Geography.

The future of our children

The new CPE formula is yet another example of experimentation with the future of our children. At just a few months of the CPE examinations, when the children are already engaged in preparing for their examinations according to a set programme, Government changes the rules of the game, without going into all the implications and consequences, pedagogical and administrative, of the new formula. The very structure of the CPE examinations is being modified.

The new CPE formula, if anything, contradicts and defeats the very objectives of improving our educational system. Is this not another example of incompetence? combined with irresponsibility on the part of Government? Or shall we put it on the account of political opportunism at the expense of the future of our children and their education?

Dharam Gokhool