After the fiasco of empty slogans, it is refreshing that we now have a Minister of education who, like a good doctor, has diagnosed the fundamental ills of our education system. He has the advantage of having witnessed at close range the distress that the CPE selection process causes to both parents and pupils. Coupled with that he understands the importance and value of a good preschool education.

These are two extremely important pillars on which to build the foundations of a solid and progressive education system. No government has up to now given preschool education the consideration it should have. Children are most receptive when they are very young. Their character and outlook on the world can be moulded in the right direction if they grow up in an environment which promotes their allround development. The pre-school stage, even if it is only a two-year period ? from the ages of 3 to 5 ? can go a long way in giving every child the confidence required to grow up as a useful, sensitive and coooperative citizen.

School based assessment

Most of the preschool teachers have unfortunately not been given the proper training to accompany children of that age in their initial voyage of discovery and understanding and do not have the necessary ressources at their disposal to carry out such an important mission. Free education is more important and more democratic at this early stage than at the tertiary level. The challenge is great to find the required funds in these days of financial turmoil but we cannot continue giving only lip service to this important period in the development of the child.

The other proposed reform is equally important. Too many children are deprived of their right to enjoy their childhood by being compelled to get into the stranglehold of the CPE at a very young age. The sooner we get rid of the cut-throat competition the better it will be for the healthy development of all children. Unfortunately our setup is such that it cannot be done overnight. But its importance can be minimized, with a small dose of competition which can also be healthy.The previous government took a step in the right direction by abolishing ranking and constructing some fifty new secondary schools. Education is not a ball that should be kicked about to score goals. Ministers of Education should put children at the centre of their consideration.

We cannot at the same time get rid of the CPE selection process if the perception of the public is that schools like QEC, the Royal Colleges and some of the Catholic run schools are "star" schools. Such schools will have to become Upper Secondary Schools to which students will be channeled after a Form III orientation evaluation depending on their strengths, potential and inclinations. A Form III evaluation at the age of 14+ is a much more valid exercise than a written examination based on memorization at the age of 11+.

At the primary school level the introduction of School Based Assessment (SBA) will be a better tool than just an exam at the end of six years of schooling not only to monitor the progress of the child but also to help take remedial measures before it is too late. Admittedly SBA alone can be seen to be too subjective. A good mix of SBA and final exams will impart greater confidence in the system and put the apprehensions of the public at rest. Admission to Form I will then be made to regional secondary schools .

We have to put children first. We have been losing too much time and resources in politicizing the issue and it is Mauritius and the children who have been the losers in a sterile battle which has no raison d?être.

Surendra BISSOONDOYAL