The primary curriculum has undergone several changes in recent years. It is still subject to modifications.

Most of the textbooks need to be reviewed. Actually some of the textbooks in English and French contain texts which are foreign to the Mauritian. For example, the text in the French book entitled ?Le bidonville? (Std V), is wholly based on an African township. Most of the texts are too long. As for Mathematics, the books must be pupils? work book for all classes. This will facilitate revision and also more space must be provided for the child to work in the book.

There must be an official and updated Atlas for History and Geography and recent information must replace obsolete information. For example,

? Many sugar mills have been closed down recently.

? New roads have been built.

? With the construction of Midlands Dam, the water supply has undergone great changes.

It is a good thing that Citizenship Education is not examinable this year. That book which was meant for teachers contains too lengthy and difficult texts ? e.g. What is United Nations ? Convention of the Child? Besides it is not pedagogically, psychologically and cognitively correct to examine a subject when the book is meant for 3 classes. (Std IV, V and VI).

Creative Education, as the name implies, is a procreative subject. It aims at de-stressing the work. There must be cooperation, coordination and group work for the subject. There cannot be competition at the primary level for that subject.

Examination-orientated curriculum

With 6 examinable subjects this year and 8 next year, the primary curriculum has the tendency of becoming an examination-oriented curriculum. Then there will be the tendency to have Physical Education and Health Education examinable. The following pertinent questions arise:

? Should every subject taught at primary level be examinable ?

? If every subject at primary level is examinable, are we doing justice to the child ?

In the Budget Speech, it is mentioned: ?We have, as promised, brought about far-reaching reforms?? Does far reaching reforms mean an examination-centred curriculum ? In the document entitled, ?Curriculum Renewal in the Primary Sector?, it is mentioned ?the educational experience of our children has been a very distorted one, limited to academic subjects?? With more academic subjects, are we not heading towards more academic subjects ?

Load of work

A few years ago, the examinable subjects were Maths, English, French, EVS and AL. With the splitting of EVS into History and Geography and Science, one more subject has become examinable. It is stated that science must be promoted in schools. The question arises? Was it necessary to split EVS into 2 subjects ? One more examinable subject means more books for the child to carry. Both Science and History and Geography could have been promoted in the ancient EVS, but with some modifications.

A pupil of primary school has to carry much load due to the increasing number of subjects ? there is more stress on children, teachers and parents.

To conclude, the words from the document entitled ?La Réforme ? le train de la Réforme de l?éducation en marche? : ?Pour des milliers de parents, l?école était une véritable source de stress et ils subissaient à leur tour l?énorme pression psychologique exercée par le système sur l?élève?? Are we not facing the same stress today with the increasing number of subjects ?

Sunilduth MUNGUR