The grievances of private secondary schools are far from solved but the managers have decided to act in a responsible way. As a result, all schools opened normally for the beginning of the school year last week. “There is no question of penalising the pupils with a lock-out,” clarified the secretary of the Federation of private college managers. However, this in no way means that they will give up their fight: they are determined to make the ministry of Education recognise their contribution to the sector by restoring parity between public and private colleges and finding a solution for colleges that will have to close down sooner or later.

A recent survey by the Mauritius Audit Bureau (MAB) made it clear that there was quite a big difference between the amount spent by the government on a student in a state school and one in a private school. This only helped to show what the latter had always felt: pupils going to state secondary schools benefit from better treatment than those attending private colleges. According to the MAB report, Rs 33,393 are spent on a child in a state college against Rs 19,665 for the other category.

The managers complain that the state grants are hardly enough for the daily management of the school. Nothing can be spent on infrastructure or other modifications. “Yet, more attention should be given to students with less capacities to enable them to be up to standard at the end of the day,” regrets a manager of one of the “neglected” colleges.

<I>Managers appear more than ever determined. If a college is no longer in a position to offer quality-education to pupils, then it is not worth the effort to go further.</I>

Moreover, some colleges do not have the appropriate infrastructure to cater for students and deliver proper education. As they can’t afford to do renovation works, some of these colleges would be well advised to close down. In fact, six of them have their backs to the wall. Some have actually been facing those problems for several years. They have poor infrastructure and the number of pupils enrolled is hardly enough to keep them open.

However, managers – even if they agree that the best solution would be to close these schools down – have fought to keep them open in view of the lack of a decision from the government. It has never expressed a clear policy about substandard colleges that would only deserve closing down. “About ten college owners are keen on closing down. But they want to make sure that their staff will be redeployed and that they will obtain some compensation”, commented the president of the managers of Private Secondary Schools Union, Rampersad Mungur.

The minister of Education, Dharam Gokhool, has made it clear: “A committee has been set up. We are waiting for precise statistics for this year. Then we will start consultations and will study all possible implications. We will however take the necessary time to study the situation.” But managers appear determined: if a college no longer wants or is no longer in a position to offer quality education to pupils, then it is not worth the effort to go further.

Despite their bitterness, managers of private colleges have agreed to start the school year and are ready to give the ministry more time to solve their problems. However, they have promised to take “spectacular actions” involving all stakeholders of the sector if they feel they are not given proper attention by the authorities. “We are keeping our relationships with the ministry under close surveillance because there have been a lot of promises but nothing has been done so far,” warned the secretary of the federation.

As for the state colleges, the new school year began in quite a cool atmosphere “except for some transfers that will have to be tackled quickly”. Some parents do not agree with the college allocated to their wards by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate and have tried to obtain a place in another college. But, on the whole, minister Gokhool seems happy with the way the first day went off.