Do we really need Shakespeare? Many years have gone by and we still have Shakespeare playing a great role in our education. Be it in English literature at Form V level or at English Main in Higher School Certificate. How come Shakespeare got such an important role? It must have been one of us who made Shakespeare the determining factor of our education. If we know Shakespeare, we are good in English and consequently get a credit or distinction in English.

Do we really have to know about Shakespearean culture or Shakespearean language? What about our Mauritian culture? Is Shakespeare more important than our own culture? What do our youngsters of this new generation learn from this Shakespearean culture? Shakespeare does not have the same stature for youngsters of today. They just read or study it so as to get good grades. They do not bother to apply what Shakespeare has been preaching in his classics. What these youngsters need is literature, which brings change to them; texts that will guide them in their future life and that deals with matters that they face in their daily life.

Analysing Mauritian society, do we find anything which has changed due to Shakespeare? Our students spend much time analysing Shakespearean language to attempt different complicated questions set by Cambridge. How do they find it? Do we really need such an icon in the 21st century? Has it helped our students in their lives? Are we living in a better society?

Our Mauritian writers have been producing such great works but these are not given much importance. We get to know our Mauritian writers maybe at University level. Our secondary students do not know who those Mauritian writers are. Our Mauritian literature deals with our culture, our people and our problems. It deals with our daily problems and also provides solutions to them. Is it necessary that students have to depend on Shakespeare? Our society does not need Shakespeare but needs good citizens. When will our students come to know about our Mauritian writers? We depend so much on foreign culture, ignoring our own culture. We can always use what we can get in our own country.

Shavila DHORBUL</B>