?We expected 75 teachers to attend the workshop; finally we got 90 . So I must say the workshop was more than a success!? says Brinda Oogarah-Pratap, Senior Lecturer and head of the Home Economics Department at the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE) and one of the main coordinators of the workshop. Among those 90 participants, some were teachers from secondary schools in Rodrigues. The event occurred in the presence of Bhaminee Surnam, Chief Examiner for the practical ?Food and Nutrition? SC exam.

The idea of holding this workshop derived from the fact that some teachers of Home Economics in secondary schools had described the different kinds of difficulties they had in another workshop that was held in August 2006.

Home Economics is becoming a more popular subject in secondary schools nowadays. It is more common from Forms 1 to 3. However, the subject itself demands a kind of specialization at the level of form 4. Indeed, at that stage, there are two topics, namely ?Food and Nutrition? and ?Fashion and Fabrics?. However, the workshop emphasized the practical side of the subject. At SC level, 50% of the overall mark depends on the practical side and the other 50% on theory. So it is important that teachers should be trained adequately to conduct practical classes. This year around 800 students (mainly girls) will be taking part in the ?Food and Nutrition? exam at SC level (Cambridge).

In the present context, some teachers are conducting practical classes with limited facilities at school. Some teachers are not adequately trained to conduct practical classes. Last but not least, conducting practical classes turns out to be costly for a significant number of pupils.

Empower teachers for better guidance</B>