We are a group of 13 students from the college which has just been renamed from Port-Louis State College to Goolam Mohamed Dowjee Atchia State College. The ceremony to commemorate this event was held on the 27th of August 2008 in the presence of Dr Rashid Beebeejaun, Mr Dharam Gokool, Mr Sylvio Tang at school. The whole ceremony was being prepared by the Ministry of Education. For that occasion the school had to prepare 3 items: a cultural dance, power point presentation and poem recitation. We were to perform the dance.

We were called at school almost every day during the last week of (...) school holidays to start rehearsing (...). Two days before the function, when everything was ready, two representatives from the ministry (...) requested that several changes be made to our costumes. (...) They repeated over and over again that dintinguished personalities would be present and the show had to be of high quality.

On the D day, one of the representatives of the ministry, who was the host of the ceremony, asked all the guests of honour followed by the rector, parents and teachers to go to the reception just as our item was about to be presented. The MBC team also left (...). We had spent all our time, preparing something of «high standard» and this is what happened. (...) It was a sheer lack of responsibility and organisation on their behalf. (...) Is this how the ministry of Education encourages the promotion of culture?

<B>The participants</B>