<B>The value of schooling. </B>Let me not lead people astray here: by and large, out-of-school now equals out-of-work later! One of the guiding principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is that all children should be treated equally and given the same opportunities to develop, grow and accede to quality education. Indeed, someone educated is more likely to be aware of his/her rights and better able to make sure they are respected. Schooling is an eminent tool of socialization, an invaluable “passport” for life! We all know this - and yet the question of education outside school must be raised.

As guest-speaker the other day at a school, I brandished a powerful DVD and stated to the assembled kids : “All facts and information you need to know can be held on this DVD, which you can open and surf at leisure, anytime; so query the role and value of school, of teachers, of memorization, of recall exams.” Go further and ask yourself: “What am I doing here if all facts I need to know can be acquired free elsewhere! What is the plus-value of schooling, occupying as it does the best part of all week days, for 36 weeks per year throughout all my growing years ?”

<B>The legal aspect. </B>Since the Government of Mauritius has acquired the legal right to keep all children from 5 to 16 at school, their stay at school during these 11 years must therefore be made worthwhile, in terms of personal development and culture, acquisition of valid and valuable knowledge and skills and the prospect of a successful future for each child. The crux of the matter comes when the schooling available does not match needs and aspirations. Are parents then legally entitled to educate their child out of school? It seems there are no provisions in law for a parent of a 5-16 child to do so.

England was one of the first countries to afford free and compulsory schooling up to 16. We in Mauritius did so in two steps, in 1979 and 2005, but with large gaps in the implementation as many a school-age person can be found in the streets or elsewhere during the hours they should be in school! In England, it is still legally possible to educate one’s child out of school. The procedures are quite simple! “If your child is a registered pupil at a school, you must write to the head teacher explaining what you intend to do and give the date that your child will stop attending the school. A telephone call is not enough, as your decision needs to be conveyed in writing. You need do no more than this.” If parents do so, they then must make sure that they have made arrangements for their child to receive an education that meets the statutory requirements. This means that any arrangements made must provide efficient full-time education suitable to the age, ability and aptitude of the child. This includes any special educational needs that the child might have, but they do not have to provide the National Curriculum. Any education provided, however, should be “broad, balanced and suitable to the child’s needs”, which gives extraordinary freedom of choice to parents.

If a child was registered at a school, the Head Teacher will make sure that the Children’s Services Authority (CSA) knows about the decision. They will also inform the Home Tuition Support Service (not compulsory but useful!) and the Education Welfare Service.

<B>For what reason would a parent keep a child out of school? </B>

I am of course referring to voluntary, conscious reasons, not to negligence or default. The main one it appears is dissatisfaction with the school or schools available. It may have to do with the child’s character: a free spirit whom the parents are reluctant to marshal into school discipline and systematic learning as available in most schools. The modern (yet in some form ancient) pedagogies of group work, learning at one’s own pace, “learning by doing”, of the “discovery method”, of outward bound exploration and open curricula might not have reached the schools concerned. Or, if heard about, these modern pedagogies were NOT sufficiently implemented to make a difference, the school preferring to concentrate on the “linguistico-mathematical intelligence” at the detriment of developing the other skills and intelligences. This state of affairs exists in the majority (but by no means all) of the 280 primary, the 150 secondary and the dozen of technical schools in Mauritius: so there would be justification for some academically dull (may be brilliant otherwise) pupils as well as for some exceptionally gifted students to be educated out-of-school. An “out-of-the-box” vision for the future, developing one’s talents for discovery and innovation, for art and music are at times best achieved outside the constraints of rigid, stifling-type of classroom learning. So it is possible (in a few cases even advantageous) for a child/youth to live and learn outside the walls of classrooms and laboratories (if any!)

What are the main axes of out-of-school education?</B>