According to a British Council report commissioned by the ministry of Education, students at secondary level have difficulties in understanding, learning and using English. Two questions arise :

1. Did the ministry of Education need a report of the British Council to find out about the poor level of English in our schools, primary and secondary? Or is it something that has been known for years and numerous suggestions for improvements repeatedly made but which have all fallen on deaf ears?

The numerous articles published in the newspapers in the context of the introduction of the A+ show clearly that the Mauritian public and those involved in education have long been aware of the failure of our system and are not devoid of ideas of how to remedy the situation. This report from the British Council is the latest in a long series of reports when what we need is the political courage and will to implement the solutions proposed over and over again.

2. Are these findings surprising? Given the entry level of trainee teachers, the training given and above all the kind of tests given in our examination driven society, what else could we expect?

When more than 40% of our pupils leave primary school after six years illiterate (...) when many of those who pass the CPE are unable to understand and use English at a level appropriate for their age and years of learning, what can we expect about their level of English at secondary level?

(....) When many of these same elite pupils who have scored an A have not written even a paragraph in English, should we be surprised that even in the so called star schools the level of English is in fact quite low. When, thanks to the format of our national CPE, teachers don?t really have to teach writing, knowing that their pupils can pass well anyway, what can we expect?

Solutions of our minister

What have been the solutions of our minister of Education so far to this major and fundamental problem?

1. Seminars and more seminars of various kinds to discuss the same issues and come up with the same proposed solutions.

2. The commissioning of more reports to tell us what we know already.

3. The reintroduction of the same Literacy-Numeracy project which has already cost the tax payers 57 million rupees without producing any of the desired goals and most probably with the same protégés directing the project who do not seem to be accountable to anybody.

4. The introduction of A+ and National Colleges which will create more competition and lead teachers to have still less time for the 29,000 or so pupils not likely to get A+s.

And other similar non - solutions. In fact we can say that the measures taken by the Minister have in fact aggravated the problem and taken the country backwards.

Problems of English

The problems of English are many and by no means easy to solve. To list a few:

1. Language Policy

The language policy in schools requires 5 year olds to learn 2/3 foreign languages introduced at the same time and largely ignoring their mother tongue. In 1968, Mead commented on our language policy in schools: ?Children leave the primary schools in large numbers without having acquired anything worth calling literacy in any language even though they have spent an intolerable amount of time dabbling in all three.? The situation has clearly not changed. Besides, the same teaching time is given to all languages and yet English is the vehicular language. Given the fact that failure to understand and to communicate in English also affects performance in other subjects above all Mathematics and Science, shouldn?t the teaching time for this language have been more?

2. Teaching Methods

English is a foreign language and should be taught and assessed as such which in turn raises a number of very complex issues among which:

● the use of the mother tongue,

● the appropriate methodology and materials to teach a second language,

● medium of instruction,

● timing : when should a foreign language be introduced, how many second-foreign languages should be introduced and taught at one time.

How many teachers have been trained to teach English as a foreign language? And if they are trained, how can they do so when English is assessed at SC level as a native language?

3. Teachers Level of English

How many teachers are fluent and competent enough in English to teach it well? Are these weaknesses of the trainee teachers being addressed in teacher training?

4. Absence of English in the Media

The presence of English in the media and in the students? environment is not enough. Most television programmes are in French. Articles in the local press are mostly in French. These are all important issues that need to be addressed if a worthwhile and real solution is to be found.

However I?ll leave suggestions for improvement in these areas and for pedagogical reforms to the experts in the field and I have total confidence in the competence of my Mauritian colleagues. I will limit my recommendations to examination reforms again emphasizing the fact that I?ll only be reiterating what has already been recommended by me and others.

The standard of English in our schools, primary and secondary is alarming but we have two important tools that could be used intelligently for an immediate solution:

1. Motivation to Learn English

In Mauritius, there is a strong motivation to learn English. Its international status and importance are recognised by parents and children and there is a will and a desire if not to learn it, at least to do well in the exams. When motivation is present in second language acquisition, half the battle is won.

2. Tests-Examinations

Tests or examinations are powerful tools in the modern world for they exert a great influence on teacher and learner behaviour. It is for this reason that many countries use examinations to try to bring about desired changes in teaching and learning. Granted that the change may not be to the extent that the authorities desired or planned, however if well and responsibly planned and carefully introduced, worthwhile changes are brought about examinations. Mauritius is one such measurement driven society : great importance is attached to examinations in our society and, as numerous reports have shown, the high stakes infamous CPE examination drives teaching and learning.

So, shouldn?t this examination be designed in such a way that it has a positive impact on teaching and learning which is far from being the case at present ?

The actual negative impact of the CPE is well documented in many of our educational reports. (?) Suffice it to say here that this highly influential examination can be passed without showing evidence of the ability to read and write and even more seriously pupils can score grade A without even attempting the only question in the paper testing writing. Is it not high time to review the CPE paper in such a way that it really measures the pupils communicative competence in English?

The goal in any educational system is learning not testing. We should make sure that this goal is reflected in all educational fields and our objective in assessment should be, to quote Caroline Gipps, assessment for learning and not learning for assessment. For this to happen an immediate reform of primary school examinations is a sine qua non.

Propositions for Reform

1. CPE English Paper in 2007

Since the schools need a notice of 2 years for major changes, the changes that can be carried out in the immediate future are not changes in curriculum and materials, not even in the format of the paper.

However it is possible while respecting the requirements of the existing examinations syllabus to use different types of questions and a different grading system for the English CPE examination paper.

Proposed Modifications:

● Replace Multiple Choice items on the reading passages with open ended ones.

● Replace the Cloze test with another reading passage and open ended questions.

● Modify the marking scheme to make it non compensatory, in other words, pupils must score a minimum mark each of the domains of reading and writing and grammar & vocabulary to pass the examination.

The fact that pupils will need a minimum number of marks in each of the tested areas will ensure that teachers teach these skills and that pupils learn them. It will also make the examination more valid for the grades will be more likely to reflect the pupils competence in the skills tested.

On the surface these are not major changes but they will require a different preparation for both teachers and learners which is bound to have a positive impact.

2. New CPE Paper in 2008-2009

Replace the separate questions on grammar and vocabulary in which pupils are scoring meaningless marks by 2 questions on reading and writing. Grammar and vocabulary can be tested and marked in writing.

3. By 2012

i. Continuous Assessment till Std V. We already have continuous assessment in Stds I- III. It should not be difficult with the proper structure and support to continue till Std IV initially and then Std V.

ii. In Std VI, a combination of external and internal assessment with a weightage of 60% and 40% respectively.

a. Diagnostic testing and continuous formative assessment which empowers the teacher is far more effective. In their comprehensive review of the research literature on formative assessment, Black and Wiliam found that ?assessment is integral to teaching and designed to help learning raise standards more than any other potential intervention in the learning process.?

The Mauritian pedagogues also believe in continuous assessment as the numerous attempts to introduce this form of assessment testify. So far these attempts have failed partly due to the pressure of competition at CPE level. Hopefully the Court of Law will force our Minister to correct the compound mistake he is making with the introduction of A+ and a saner educational environment will evolve which will give formative assessment a chance. If done carefully, there is no reason why continuous assessment cannot be implemented in our public schools as it is in private schools.

b. The external test should be as performance based as possible so as to test the pupils? ability to communicate in English.

While there is no doubt that such measures will go a long way in helping to bring about the necessary improvement in the learning of English, there is no doubt also that changes in testing alone will not work. All research on examinations has confirmed the crucial role of the teacher in bringing about changes. So what we also urgently need is a parallel review of teacher training so that our teachers get the know-how and also the support necessary to do this huge and crucial task that is expected of them. To save our children?s future, let us hope the Minister will start acting and that the different educational institutions in Mauritius will join hands.

Dr Seeookumar CHUMUN

References

1. Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and Classroom Learning, Assessment in Education, Vol. 5, No1, 1998.

2. Gipps, C. (1990). Assessment: A Teachers Guide to the Issues. London: Hodder & Stoughton.

3. Mead, J.E. (1968). The Economic and social structure of Mauritius, Frank Cass, London.