We, a group newly born on the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE) campus, would like to share, help and collaborate with other stakeholders in the education sector, for the advancement of the Mauritian educational system. We are a non-partisan group that would only fight for the benefit of the Mauritian child. Even if we have been trained through the Government Teachers? Union, under the leadership of Mr Vinod Seegum to whom we owe a lot , we reserve the right to argue and discuss on matters that we find important for the Mauritian educational system. A great deal has been said about the use and teaching of Creole in schools. The fact is that the use of Creole in schools is not forbidden and many teachers already use it. Thus, there are several reasons that may explain why Creole should be used as a medium of teaching.

This could be one of the solutions to our main educational problem ?the high rate of failure. About one-third of the children who leave primary school still do not manage to pass the examinations. Also, consideration must be given to the use of Creole as a medium of teaching to enable those who are socially disadvantaged to have a better grasp of early learning. Thus, the use of Creole may help pupils in the early learning especially those who have difficulty in mastering English and French. In the early years of schooling, the teaching of concepts and the acquisition of literacy may prove more successful in the child?s mother tongue. Creole used as a medium for teaching can also give all the pupils the opportunity to express themselves openly through writing, music, drama and debates.

Teaching in the mother tongue would have been most effective and efficient if at the same time it involved teaching the language itself and teaching through the language. However, this is a debate in itself. And for this to happen we also need to have trained teachers.

It is probably high time we stop mixing politics and emotions with education. What we need are decisions based on data and/or empirical research. This would include reviewing research on similar issues in other countries. We could more specifically examine the difference in scholastic performance of students attending both types of schools and their professional success in life, as well as parents? and employers? attitudes to both types of schools.

We would also need to ensure that by enforcing large-scale utilization of Creole in schools we don?t further disadvantage those who already have little or no exposure to English and French at home. But one cannot escape the irony that while pretending to help the socially and academically underprivileged and thus depriving political credit, others might unwittingly push these children deeper into a ghetto from which they might find it still more difficult to extricate themselves. Creole is the mother tongue of most Mauritians. The use of Creole as the main medium for teaching has a pedagogical aim. Creole is the most popular medium of expression. It is a common bond that cements the nation. So, it?s quite natural that Creole be used as a medium of teaching in our primary schools.

Voice of MIE trainees