Education is the acquisition of basic skills and knowledge merged with discipline and academicals, which fosters the psychomotor, cognitive and effective development of a person. The education system in Mauritius, known as the formal structure of learning, has its origins in the British school system. When our beloved country got its independence in 1968, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the father of the nation, promoted free education and provided equal rights of education to all citizens of Mauritius. Schooling hence became compulsory until the age of 16. The education phase of a citizen ideally involves 4 categories, namely the pre-primary, the primary, the secondary and the tertiary level.
Fast-forward from 1968 to 2020, there has not been any major change to our education system although several educational reforms have seen the day. An educated nation is born from its educated citizens where the education system trains people to strengthen the economic pillar and help in the development of the country. Over Rs 15 billion has been allocated to the education system in the 2019-2020 budget, but is this money sufficient to transform the actual system from the prisoner of its past?
We let money rule us, ignorant of the fact that it is powerful if used in the proper way. In addition to the financial aspect of improving the system, the synthesis of efficient management, commitment of education providers and enforcement of technological tools will pave the way to bridging the gap between 1968 and 2020. Let us not forget that the motivation of learners is based on the ‘motive’ + their ‘action’. The factors such as money, commitment and technology, endorsed with good management, will create the ‘motive’ aspect for the learners while the ‘action’ aspect is required by the learners themselves. Just like both hands have to participate for a clap to occur, the 2 aspects of ‘motive’ and ‘action’ are very important for a fruitful and productive system of teaching and learning.
With the pandemic of covid-19 turning our lives upside down, questions are in the minds of everyone for the education of the new generations. To mitigate the risk of students losing their educational year, learning sessions for the primary and secondary levels are being taught through the MBC. In addition, a partnership between the Service Diocésain de l’Education Catholique (SeDEC) and Radio Plus allows students in Grades 7 – 9 to stay connected to their studies between 11 a.m. and noon during this period of confinement. The famous ‘business’ of giving tuitions is also facing a terrible recession as learners are requested to stay at home.
Since the lockdown is set until 19 May, the Ministry is currently working on a post-curfew plan, which will be in force once schools resume. Schools have been requested to submit their proposals for same, so that a concrete and collaborative decision can be reached, taking into account the specificities of their establishment. During the resumption of studies, which will take place in phases, only half of the school population will be allowed to go to schools. This will be done to avoid gatherings in schools and public transport, in a view of respecting the social distancing. The Ministry will also ensure that the number of days for Grade 11 and Grade 13 students is maximized. A similar measure could also apply to Grade 9 students preparing for the national exams. The pending aspect is whether tuitions will resume or not. Again, this goes back to the commitment of our education providers and of how much considerate they are willing to be, concerning the learning of our youngsters and their safety without letting money rule their decisions.
The question that arises here is, can we take covid-19 to be a teacher for once? With the evolution of this pandemic, the education system has been forced to probe into ways of using online teaching and technological tools for the advancement of learning. We are living in a technological era, where the students are exposed to mobile phones, laptops and televisions. Nowadays Google can answer most of our questions. In such circumstances, where learners are driven by this huge wave of being technology-savvy, we cannot expect them to go to school with textbooks and copy books, sit in a classroom which to them resembles a prison, and listen to a teacher. Previous generations have adhered to the ancient system and it proved to be beneficial to some extent, but amidst all, we need to realise that we have evolved and the education system needs to adapt to the current changes.
As says Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful tool which you can use to change the world”. Education is about teaching someone to be the best of himself and not tamed to be in the ‘rat race’. It allows one to move from an empty mind to an open mind which can “think out of the box”. Every country wants to have educated citizens and every parent wants the best for his child. The field of education is constantly changing and the requirements of the present and forthcoming generations need to be addressed at the earliest if Mauritius wants to be a strong economy.
Until now, our education system has a track record of academic achievement. But a lack of adapting to the societal changes and failure to resolve the various deficiencies leaves the system corroded, screaming for imperative changes for the sake of our young leaders of today and tomorrow. The concerned authorities and stakeholders of the Mauritian educational system need to step in and take over the situation before it goes out of control. Covid-19 brought a huge change and will leave an impact for life if we take it in a positive way and use this change to update the education system by responding to the demands of our learners. If not, it is going to remain a scar for life. Time can tell if our education system is efficient, but is there much time left?
