One thing that caught my attention recently was the renewed debate about mixed schools, and whether bane “ti mauricien ek ti mauriciennes” should go through the education system side by side, or whether we should keep the currently segregated system which prevails today, with a few exceptions. Finally, I thought, a grain of common sense, and a welcome debate! I had a flashback to my school days in Rose-Hill, when boys were an exotic species only encountered in tuition classes or on weekends when my girlfriends and I would roam ‘arcades’ pretending not to look at them.  I suppose that is precisely the innocence and naiveté many still want to preserve as the status quo. I can’t disclose here whether that innocence lasted very long (oh hi mum!), but suffice to say I was a pure product of our segregated education system: from age 13 to 18, I went to a girls school, and boys were pretty much an alien species as far as I was concerned. 

Now, while I do look fondly back to my school days and the enduring bonds of friendships formed since then (there were no boys to fight over, you see), I do think gender segregation is woefully outdated, and the sooner we ensure our schools reflect what society actually looks like (i.e. mixed), and prepare youngsters for the world of work, the better it will be. Those who object to the idea will immediately wheel out their usual arguments, which are usually very shaky if we actually think them through.

The  presence of the opposite sex will be a distraction and academic  performance will fall

This is not very convincing if we look at every other education system in the world. I hate to break it to everyone, but Mauritius is not top of any league tables when it comes to academic results. A small number of laureates every year does not equal to a top notch education system.  Let’s pick the top three countries in the world when it comes to academic achievement according to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) : Finland, South Korea  and China (with Singapore and Japan closely behind).  Students from these countries regularly ace international literacy, mathematics and science assessment tests. Clearly, mixed schooling does not seem to impede academic achievement in these countries, so why should it be the case in Mauritius?

There will be higher rates of teen pregnancy will result

The spectre of teen pregnancy is very effective in scaring parents into opposing mixed schooling, but means absolutely nothing until someone shows me some solid statistics. I suggest the ministry goes into mixed schools like MGI and St Andrew and try to find out how teen pregnancy rates compare to our single-sex colleges. I have had several occasions to wander around mixed colleges, and I can assure everyone that no rampant debauchery was to be observed at any point.

Things are fine now so why change?

Not only should we change, but it is urgent that we do so.  We can’t err on the side of apathy on this issue. Aside from the fact that only a few countries across the globe today  have greater than one or two percent single sex schools, I think it is high time we wise up to the fact our current single sex education system not only reinforces gender stereotypes, but also results in very unhealthy attitudes between the sexes. For a start, I don’t understand why in the 21^st century it is automatically assumed that girls need to learn to sew and cook, while boys are the ones who need to do woodwork and design.  And don’t get me started on the lack of respect I observe in boys’ behaviour towards girls while in their school uniforms. Maybe if they both studied and grew up alongside each other, learning values like respect and acceptable boundaries, we wouldn’t have boys throwing bottles of pee at girls during ‘manifestation’, or thinking that groping women on a bus is acceptable behaviour. 

To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if teen pregnancy rates actually fall once we move to mixed schooling: once both sexes are demystified to one another, they might not jump into each other’s pants the minute the occasion arises.