● <B>You?re one of those who would like to see less competition at CPE level. Why? </B>

Fundamentally, because we can?t continue to prepare the youth for a world they would no longer inherit. It?s true that we are living in a world where global competitiveness is the ?mantra?. But to compete in this world we need far more than an exam-oriented education system which focuses only on academic achievement based on rote learning and lower-order thinking skills at the expense of creativity, personality development and higher- order thinking.

The CPE no longer responds to new challenges we now have to face. It has bred enough inequalities that are seriously affecting our social harmony. An overdose competitive system leaves little space for the all-round development of the child at a time when we should prepare our children to face global challenges.

The CPE has caused serious damage to the self-esteem of generations of lives and we should now refresh education thinking from a knowledge-based curriculum to a competency-led curriculum. The fact that our country is deprived of natural resources, we can?t allow any wastage of human potential. We must foster a system that optimises the potential of every child.

Abusive competition at CPE has also yielded serious flaws like transforming our schools intotraining camps to pass examinations let alone the fact that schools have become shop corners for lucrative business.

Thirty years back I sat for the Junior Scholarship examinations which opened the doors for admission to the only five State Secondary Schools. I got admitted to John Kennedy College after open competition from nearly 45,000 pupils without the slight stress of a killing competition. Now the number of state schools has increased drastically to some 70 with a CPE population of nearly half of what it was then. And, yet, the competition is much fiercer.

● <B>Ironically, while some say that competition is an incentive to do better, the average failure rate is 35%?</B>

The high failure rate should be viewed from different angles. We cannot lay the blame on only one factor ? be it the school, the parent, the teacher or the child himself. We should analyze the failure rate through a holistic approach that stems from pedagogical, social and environmental imperatives.

Language is the principal barrier to educational success. There is an urgency to revisit our teaching strategies concerning language acquisition. Too often we have the tendency to teach languages as a subject only and we fail to understand that language is a communication tool without which understanding and comprehension are simply unachievable. Another factor that influences student achievement is the inadequate flexibility to cater for individual differences. Equality in education does not mean that all children should be treated the same but all students should enjoy equal opportunities to optimize their learning potential. Expecting each child to learn the same material at the same time with the same exposure is contradictory to their developmental diversity. The curriculum must also cater for individual differences. Remedial education is undoubtedly another area which has to be consolidated since an early age.

● <B>You said that you?re against tough competition. Do you think national colleges, which admit best CPE performers, should be maintained? </B>

Of course, I am fully conscious of one school of thought that has the firm belief that the system should cater separately for the elite. But I deeply feel that in this 21st century, the concept of elite education should be revisited. Are elites those who achieve high academic performance only or those who can unleash the shackles of shallow thinking with the mastery of life skills such creativity, problem solving, ability to work in a team and decision-making skills?

Hard-core traditionalists will surely argue that talented children groom better if educated separately, but this type of thinking does not reflect modern trends of learning and human development that focus on differentiated instruction where students work at their own challenge level.

● <B>What do you think about private tuition? </B>

It seems that the competitive element of our education system has led to ?private? tuition being institutionalized. May I remind you that the private tuition phenomenon started as far back as 1945 at Royal College Port-Louis when Governor Brown drew attention on its potential spread. At that time private tution was accessible only to the happy few of the society. Today, you must concur that private tuition has been democratized and more and more parents are having recourse to it thanks to their economic mobility.

This does not mean that I am giving my blessing to its abusive practice. For me, the private tuition craze stems from different causes ? pedagogical, social and economic. However, it?s regretful to note that it?s very purpose is being flawed as tuition is meant for pupils who find difficulty to cope with classwork and need remedial support. But teachers cannot be blamed for that pitfall as outrageous competition and an overloaded curriculum have been the root of this evil.

● <B>How do we end it? </B>

We shall never be able to put an end to it but we should be able to regulate any abuse. We cannot allow a handful of teachers to exploit/abuse the system by blackmailing pupils for tuition or purchasing unnecessary substandard books just to reap commissions or even claiming exaggerated fees. But we can limit the number of students tutored at one time, the number of hours the child is getting tuition and the need for more individual attention.

● <B> Competition has always been present in education. Why should that change? </B>

I am not refractive to a reasonable dose of competition in the system as it can trigger sufficient motivational drive for the learner to develop his full potential. On the other hand, an overdose of competition can reflect adversely on the desired result. Above all, competition is fair only if everyone is on the same level playing field.

In our society unfortunately, there is disparity between those who are born with a golden spoon and have an ?advantageous? start and those who are struggling at the lower rung of the ladder. Allowing a cut-throat competition will no doubt yield a lot of casualties aside and will subsequently generate unlimited frustration detrimental to social peace and harmony.

?Allowing a cut-throat competition will no doubt leave a lot of casualties aside and will subsequently generate unlimited frustration detrimental to social peace and harmony.?

● <B>You are asking for a Teachers? Council. Why? </B>

You will surely concur that a highly dedicated teaching force is an essential element to override the challenges of this changing world. Today it is imperative to professionalize furthermore the profession and a Teachers? Council could be an efficient tool for setting the standards for the practice and conduct of all educators. A Teachers? Council should aim at promoting, developing and maintaining the professional image of the teacher. It should also promote professional development and career advancement of teachers while strengthening international networking through teacher exchange programs and best teaching learning practices. In short a Teachers? Council should develop a code of ethics that will highlight core values, commitments and practice of the profession.

● <B>What should be the main priorities of the ministry of Education? </B>

Priorities lie everywhere in this sector but I feel that, primo, the ministry should focus on the language issue, which is the determinating factor for success. There is an urgent need to review and update the pedagogy we use to teach languages in this country. Children retain better 90% of the things they say and do at the same time. So, teaching should reflect their natural process of learning.

Secundo, the whole process of the CPE exams should be reviewed with new lenses because in modern pedagogy focus is centered on skills rather than on knowledge. Teacher training is another priority which requires a certificate of urgency as we can?t undermine the importance for teachers to master the biology of learning. We know that pupils? intelligence can be moulded through the teachers? skilled intervention.

Today, through new scanning technology, we understand better brain sciences and there is enough evidence to establish the link between learning and the multiple intelligence theory. The curriculum reform should be embedded with modern trends in education, which reflect the paradigm shift from content-based curriculum to competence-led curriculum.

Finally, the best teaching practices will tend to be hit-and-miss if teachers are not provided with enough resources, a conducive environment and down-sized classes so that they can give more individual attention.