The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is now an independent boys’ school (ages 11-18). It was founded by Hugh Oldham in 1515 to promote “godliness and good learning” and followed the premises that any boy, showing sufficient academic ability, and regardless of his background, should be allowed to attend it.

In the post-war period, it was a direct-grant grammar school, which was not fee-paying (hence accessible to all), but it became an independent school in 1976 after the Labour government – in the person of Education secretary Shirley Williams – removed funding from all direct-grant grammar schools unless they complied with government policy i.e. convert into comprehensive schools.

A “jewel in the crown” of English secondary education, the MGS, and others like it, were being directly threatened by politicians bent on implementing party policies, regardless of their educational soundness.

Then the Conservatives came back to power and grammar schools were reprieved. But not for long : at the next transition to a Labour Government, the policy of comprehensives was back on track – one should add with much moderation – because many of the larger comprehensive schools were proving unmanageable.

Here in Mauritius we are not yet out of the woods with the transition from MMM to PTr educational policies.Three principles suggest themselves in order, so to speak, to succeed this transition : keep and further develop what is good in the system and only bring change through new, innovative measures; keep in mind that educational systems are reformed “en marche”, with real people pupils/parents/pedagogues - involved at every step, who may not wish nor benefit by being played ball with (as were the Grammar schools of England); educational reform concerns the future, not the past.

If, to the 10 points accumulated by Steven Obeegadoo during his excellent 2001-2005 mandate, we could dream of adding another 10 points (e.g. world-class education, accent on quality, solidarity, a National Curriculum, IT for all, etc) from Dharam Gokhool during his 2005-2010 mandate, the nation’s educational system would, in a decade , have moved ahead by 20 points.

If, on the other hand, instead of the 10+10 formula, the path of undoing what has been achieved is chosen, we could end up with a 10-10=0 formula!

In this era of globalization, with a world population well above 6 billion on an unstretchable planet, marked by the end of subsidised trade and cheap fuel, do we have the choice, we in Mauritius, but to excel?

<B>Dr. Michael ATCHIA</B>