Prime minister Navin Ramgoolam said he was very impressed with the kind of wholesome education given to pupils at the International Preparatory School (IPS) Mapou, a village in the North, of the Island.

The comments were made at the inauguration of a new building at the school last Tuesday. A relaxed PM accompanied by his wife visited the school run by Ida Coombes and entered into conversation with the pupils aged 3 to 11. A little girl ran up to the Prime minister and innocently asked a question that made Ramgoolam burst into laughter. ?Who is the Prime minister?? she wanted to know. Inordinately pleased by the question, the PM asked reporters to come and witness the incident.

Earlier in his speech, Navinchandra Ramgoolam urged youngsters not to be scared to ask questions. He gave the example of this little girl in the US, who wrote a letter to the Chief Justice to ask him what makes a good lawyer. The judge, said Ramgoolam, wrote back to say that a person should ?come to the law as a well-read person.? The gist of the judge?s advice was that only after a person has learnt to enjoy listening to music, mastered the language and appreciate the other pleasures of life can he ever hope to become a good lawyer.

The words of the US chief justice were accurate and relevant to the current function said Ramgoolam. ?This is the kind of education that I want our children to have,? he further added. Ramgoolam also surprised many by saying that he would be willing to look into a future partnership between the public and the private sectors. He said he agreed with the IPS? philosophy that education was not just a matter of cramming academic subjects in the classroom but was also about preparing the child to face tomorrow?s world.

Referring to the school director?s comment about there being a lack of teaching staff, the PM reminded the audience that readily available talents such as wives of expatriates already working in the country (many of whom are teachers says Coombes), will soon be allowed to work in Mauritius.

<B>Opting for English based education</B>

The International Preparatory School, which uses English as a medium was established in 1989 and was then a part of the Ecole du Nord. It took longer than expected to become an independent school because most Mauritian parents prefer the French medium, said Ida Coombes. With the arrival of more English speaking expatriates in the country and more Mauritian parents opting for an English medium based education, the IPS started expanding and now aims at providing quality education to children of expatriates in Mauritius as well as Mauritians. The focus of the education is to prepare the children to do well in any country in the world. The IPS boasts of educating children of 24 different nationalities, ranging from Italian to British and Indian to Japanese.

School Director, Ida Coombes said she was inspired by a Chinese proverb that says, ?If you want to plan for a year, plant rice. If you want to plan for a decade, plant a tree; if you want to plan for a lifetime, educate people.?