?Little change in primary education?

?I have lived in more than nine countries before settling in Mauritius in 2001. But I do not really feel like a foreigner here. I even feel its inhabitants should take more time to appreciate the wonders of this country.

As a former primary school teacher in my native England and teacher trainer here until 1981, I must confess that I am disappointed to find little change in primary education. Classes are still dominated by the syllabus. My feeling is that children are not encouraged or motivated to become interested in anything that is not actually on the syllabus, and many schools do not foster an interest in sporting activities. Teachers are reluctant to go left or right from the programme, even if that would arouse the interest of their pupils. In this way, they are not giving themselves the chance to come to terms with the sound development of their pupils.

Children are all different from each other and it is somewhat difficult in classes with 40 pupils to look after each child individually rather than to teach a class as one child. But children are naturally curious, and one of the tasks of the school is to stimulate this curiosity. I am among those who have tried to stimulate my pupils through simple games, activities and an interest table, where each day something potentially interesting was discussed, whether it be an object, a book or a puzzle.

The learning of the English language can be improved by the introduction of storytelling, simple activity rhymes and songs, poetry, choral speaking and drama. The creativity of writing is being addressed by the excellent work of the President?s Fund for Creative Writing in English. To achieve a mature framework of education, the taste for learning must be encouraged.

On a broader scale, there are a few things that are frightening in our modern secondary schools. Whereas the atmosphere in girls schools tends to be quiet and business-oriented, when it comes to boys schools, the mindset seems as if the act of learning and education generally is not a ?cool? activity. So, male students who do not find learning an attractive option in life, tend to ?put down? those who show an interest in it. It is our job as teachers to find a way of winning over all our pupils and remembering that curiosity and interest are great motivators for education.

In Mauritius, there is a great opportunity for teachers, in schools and in private tuition groups, to give quality time to children and encourage them to really enjoy learning through encouragement, interest, curiosity, practical discovery and activity work.?