● Do you agree with the saying that ?education is the best way out of poverty??

Education for all is one of the clearly stipulated Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Increasingly the ?right to education? is being viewed as a fundamental human right. However, education by itself cannot and will not eradicate poverty as the latter is a complex and multifaceted issue, which needs to be understood and analysed in a holistic, integrated and sustained manner. Therefore, if education is to make a difference to the human condition and ensure the upliftment of the poor, a reflection is needed on the type of skills and training that are needed and can be developed to ensure the full participation and involvement of those who have been systematically left on the outskirts of development.

● Even if it is not the best way out, education is free in Mauritius. Why are poor families caught in the vicious circle?

This is the very paradox of the Mauritian development model. A country that offers free education from pre-primary to tertiary level is leaving out and failing a growing number of its citizens! Why is it that the most vulnerable and needy segments of our society are not benefiting from this free education? Is it the type of education we have? The manner in which it is delivered? Is it normal that after ten years of basic schooling some 40% of our children are ejected from the system? These are key questions that require urgent answers if education is ever to become a leveller towards a more just, fair and equitable society.

● Does it have to do with the school system, which is so competitive that it doesn?t allow many children to succeed?

Personally, I believe in competition as it can create a conducive and enabling environment for the involvement and participation of citizens who can in turn ensure and promote a culture of merit and hard work. However, the type of ?competition? unleashed through the CPE in its present form increases cleavages, accentuates differences and perpetuates discriminations at a very young age. The meaning and value of education is to ensure that the maximum opportunities are given to every child to succeed in life and become full-fledged citizens.

● There have been a lot of programmes in Mauritius. Yet, they seem unsuccessful, as poverty is still very present. Is it because they were not adapted to our situation?

There has been a gamut of poverty alleviation programmes/ schemes introduced by the various governments. The question that must be asked is whether there is any link or follow-up among these schemes or is each freshly elected government bent on merely showcasing their own ?commitments? towards tackling poverty. The recent conference on ?Poverty and Development? organized by the Institute of Social Development and Peace (ISDP) highlighted the absence of the voices of the poor in decision-making matters concerning them. Therefore, if programmes/schemes are to be meaningful and relevant to those it is supposedly aimed at, it is imperative that the poor be involved through a more inclusive bottom-up approach.

● Do you think eradicating poverty is finally just a matter of political will?

Political will and commitment are very important as they ensure that one moves away from pure rhetoric to actual action. Mauritius has for too long suffered from this syndrome, which unfortunately is locking us into a status quo. In addition to political commitment, the fight against poverty requires a stakeholders? approach, which hinges on collective responsibility of each and all to make poverty history.

● Are you in favour of the ?targeting? policy?

Mauritius is increasingly feeling the brunt of an overwhelming welfare system, which it cannot afford to extend to all its citizens. There has been a lot of confusion and inconsistencies around the issue of targeting or not targeting. The current government has gone back and forth on this issue demonstrating once more the lack of political will to be consistent with one stand. There is the need for an open, frank and non-opportunistic discussion about targeted policies to once again ensure that the most needy and vulnerable segments of our society are catered for.

● Jobs are said to be available in Mauritius. Yet, the unemployment rate is high and people say they can't find a job. Is it another mentality from the most vulnerable who think they will remain poor in any case? How to change this mindset?

One should make it clear that no human being chooses to wallow in poverty and, if given an opportunity to get out, he/she will do so. Recently, there has been a lot of talk about hundreds of jobs available on the market and very few takers. Here is it important to analyse the types of job on offer and whether the poor are really able to access them. It is thus important to emphasise that job creation by itself is not a panacea to eradicate poverty.

● Do you think the ordinary citizen is aware of poverty and can he/she help to change this reality?

Our society has become very materialistic and mercantilist by nature and this is not atypical to Mauritius only. For the average Mauritian middle citizen the issue of poverty remains a peripheral / remote feature to his/her everyday existence, which occasionally is attended to as a means of appeasing one?s conscience. However, there is the need to move away from this mere tokenism to that of adopting a genuine involvement and commitment to helping and empowering others who are less fortunate than us. The recent event on Poverty Day spearheaded by Sociology students of the University of Mauritius is indicative of the need to contribute to make a difference.

● What are the risks for our society if nothing is done?

Well I fear that the well-known saying ?poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere? will become our reality! Therefore it is imperative that we all mobilize and commit ourselves in combating and eradicating poverty.