Mauritius: an independent island

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Table 6: Number of students

Year Number of students attending primary schools

1955-56 85,446 1959-60 126,173

The development of schooling in Mauritius in the 20th century enabled the children of the Indian immigrants to access education. The examination of the country‟s economic and social policy indicates that on the road of progression, the Hindu and Muslim communities faced discrimination by the Franco-Mauritians (Emrith,1994). But later, as Emrith stated, they will gain “ascendancy through merit, perseverance and hard work battling the odds of bigotry and prejudice along the way” (1994, p. 195). Later, their descendants occupied jobs not only in commerce, trade, and industry, but they also in the liberal professions and the civil services. In order to understand their endeavor to obtain better jobs, one has to take into account the awareness of the value of education among the indentured labourers. Over time, parents have worked hard to educate their children, a step that will lead to their social progress.

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(EPZ). The sudden success of the Mauritian economy gave it the title of the „Tiger of the Indian Ocean.' In addition, the tourist industry also flourished and the island has been known as one of the most important high-class destinations in the world. The three main pillars of the Mauritian economy were sugar, textiles(EPZ), and tourism.

However, in time, the two main pillars of the economy, namely the sugar and textile industries, were no longer successful as in the 1980s. The main reason was due to globalization, Mauritius faced competitors like Brazil and had lost its European Market for the exportation of sugar. In 2005, the Multi-Fibre Agreement Act came to an end and Mauritius had to face China‟s textile industry on the global market. Mauritius had to reorganize its economy to meet the new challenges in this global era. The economy of Mauritius has increased in growth rate though the level of unemployment is still very high. The Mauritian government has to provide an adequate education to its citizens that will fit with the demand of labor, as the island is in need of an educated and competent workforce to respond to the needs of a knowledge-based society.

After independence, Mauritius reflected a multi-ethnic society where each group has its own culture and traditions. Suntoo and Chittoo (2012) described the Muslim community from the Indo ethnic group as having its own particular dress, food, language, norms, values, and beliefs which are different from the Hindus who are also from the Indo ethnic group. Both religions share the same ethnicity but their ways of life are quite different. Multiculturalism flourished in the island without any barriers from the dominant ethnic group.

Before independence, in the 1940s there was a demand for free education. In 1976, Mauritius provided free education to all the Mauritian citizens. At the same time, the government was facing pressure from International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the Structural Adjustment Programme to reduce all social costs, namely the policy of free

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education. This push was met with significant resistance, and primary education remained free and in 1982 became compulsory. In 1977, secondary education also became free with tertiary education following in 1988. The Mauritian Educational system has undergone several plans and reforms to promote the quality of education. Parsuramen (2006) said that the White Papers of 1984 were developed to enhance the quality, equality, importance, and cost effectiveness of the system of education. In 1991, the Master Plan for education was based on the principles of Education for All. Furthermore, Mauritius was able to claim that the Master Plan 1991 had raised the GDP of Mauritius and that the country experienced employment growth due to its education and other public social services (Parsuramen 2006). One vital point to stress is that the plan took into consideration the multi-ethnic aspect of the country. The government had taken practical steps to invest in the education sector by providing free compulsory education, free textbooks at primary level, and by offering no-cost tertiary courses. However, in the 1990s, the system of education was still facing many problems. The Ministry of Education drafted a White Paper in 1997 and highlighted the following shortcomings in the education system:

a.) The presence of inequalities among the different ethnic groups at schools.

b.) Rat-race competition for the Certificate in Primary Education (CPE) c.) The classes were overcrowded

d.) Lack of teachers

e.) Teaching was based on chalk and talk

The new plan made a list of recommendations to enhance teacher training, eradicate private tuition system after school hours, include extra-curricular activities, reduce the number of pupils per classroom, and to introduce new subjects such Hinduism and Islamic Studies in the curriculum.

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After the independence of Mauritius, the education system has been opened to all ethnic groups and social classes. This system of education provided equal opportunity to all ethnic groups. The actual formal education structure will be discussed as well as a broad view of the reforms which have been undertaken to achieve quality education. The formal education system in Mauritius followed the British model. The four key stages of the school education system are as follows:

1.)Pre-primary (ages 1 to 5) 2.) Primary (6 levels -std. 1-VI)

3.) Secondary (5 levels-Form I-V compulsory)

4.) Upper Secondary (2 levels-Form VI-Higher School Certificate)

The structure involves one year in pre-primary, six years in primary, five years in lower secondary and two years in upper secondary. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16. There are a total of 180 schools in Mauritius. Overall the Mauritian education system is in line with Education for All. To access the secondary school, students must pass the final exam known as the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE). Students who have failed the CPE for two consecutive years can be admitted to a prevocational secondary stream. The prevocational curriculum enables the students to obtain a certificate which will allow them to secure a job after school while going through a modified curriculum. After three years‟ of study, students can get an opportunity to join training institutions of manual work, or they can join the workforce.

Mainstream students, following the completion of the lower secondary level, must sit for the Cambridge School Certificate (SC). Students may leave the school after obtaining their SC results to join the workforce or complete the upper secondary level. After completing the two years‟ upper secondary level, students have to sit for the Cambridge Higher School Certificate

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(HSC) examination. The HSC, also referred to as the pre-university qualifications, enable the students to apply for university or to gain a job. The education system has undergone and is currently undergoing major educational reforms.

After understanding the formation of Mauritius as a multiracial, multilingual, and multireligious society and the development of its education system, the next section will discuss the possibilities of implementing Intercultural Education in this small island.