| a m e r i c a n s c e n e | WEEK-END --- dimanche 3 février 2008 |
Steeve Obeegadoo, from Washington interviewed :
"The role of Basic Education is to provide generic skils..."
Steve Obeegadoo was Minister of Education from 2000 to 2005 under the government of Prime Minister Paul Bérenger. He also served as Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations in 1997, and Minister of Fisheries, from 1995 to 1996, and has been Secretary General of the MMM, in charge of the party's manifesto, political education and international relations. Last year, he left Mauritius to take a short-term posting at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. as a senior education specialist. In an interview with Pamela de St. Antoine, Weekend's Washington Correspondent, Mr. Obeegadoo shares his views on the challenges facing Mauritius as it prepares students to succeed in an expanding global economy.
Last year, you moved from Mauritius to Washington, DC to work for the World Bank. What exactly are you doing in your new position, and do you apply any of the experience or ideas developed when you served as minister of three different ministries in your current work?
My responsibilities at the World Bank relate to the Secondary Education in Africa programme and I am also the General Coordinator of the upcoming Biennial Conference of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the most important meeting on education in Africa, which this year will focus on the challenges of Post Primary Education. That such responsibilities in particular were entrusted to me obviously follow from the educational reforms which I introduced to generalize access to secondary education in Mauritius.
In addition, I have always been a consistent internationalist devoting considerable time and energy to the regional and international context. Thus, as minister of Fisheries, I worked relentlessly alongside the President of Namibia, Hifikepunye Pohamba, then my counterpart at Fisheries, to develop a 'community of practice' within the SADC region. Later, as minister of Labour, I was deeply involved in the debate at the International Labour Organization on social labeling of international commodities to defend workers' and children's rights. Afterwards, during my term of office at Education, I chaired ADEA as well as the Association of Francophone Ministers of Education, and played a very active part on UNESCO's Executive Board and among Commonwealth education ministers. That experience and the network of contacts I established is of great relevance to my work today.
Another former education minister, Armoogum Parsuramen, was also hired by the Bank several years ago when he left government service. Why does the World Bank have such a strong interest in hiring our former education experts?
Mauritius is acknowledged as having one of the most developed educational systems of sub-Saharan Africa, together with the Seychelles and South Africa. Accordingly, it is often considered that other countries of the continent can learn from our experience in expanding educational provision.
One of the most qualified persons, in that regard, was and is undoubtedly my predecessor and good friend, Armoogum Parsuramen. One of the longest serving African ministers of education and during his 13 years in office, he became very well known and respected within the international educational community. After leaving the Bank, he joined UNESCO where he now holds the prestigious position of Secretary to the Executive Council, the governing body of the UN dedicated agency for Education.
But we are not alone. When I joined the Bank, I was fortunate to work alongside the first Education minister of Zimbabwe after liberation, Dzingai Mutumbuka, who presided over a period of rapid expansion and democratization of that country's education in the early 1980s.
How is Mauritius perceived at the World Bank? Is it still used as an example of economic success in Africa?
Over the last 20 years or so, Mauritius has been a reference for the less developed countries and an example of economic success based on political stability, the right policy mix and astuteness at grasping the opportunities presented by the international economic context of the 1980s and 90s.Between 1973 and the mid-1990s per capita GDP actually declined by 36% across Sub-Saharan Africa whereas Mauritius experienced an economic take off, with per capita GDP increasing more than threefold This generated tremendous interest among economic observers at the Bank and elsewhere and attempts to identify the lessons to be learnt from the 'Mauritian miracle'.
However, Mauritius has long since outgrown its previous development model of labour intensive industrial development. With the dismantling of preferential trade regimes and the emergence of a global economy of ruthless competition and highly volatile commodity prices, the challenges are immense. Against this background, education, according to the World Bank, is the Achilles heel of Mauritius' effort to transform itself into a more innovative, knowledge based economy and the topmost priority should be to upgrade human capital.
As Education Minister from 2000 to 2005, you initiated many reforms. What do you consider your greatest accomplishments in improving education in Mauritius? What were your greatest disappointments?
The challenges I just mentioned also relate to the education and training systems. On
the one hand, for economic competitiveness and growth, Mauritius requires a highly skilled and versatile labour force. On the other hand, expectation that the fruits of
economic progress should benefit the many rather than the few and the actual high
wage premiums on education and skills translates into a pressing social demand for
ever wider access to quality education.
Between 1999 and 2005, according to recently published data from UNESCO, the percentage of those aged 12-18 attending secondary schools increased from 67 to 82% and the Gross Enrollment Ratio reached 99% at lower secondary level. At tertiary level, The UNESCO Institute of Statistics reports that the participation rate rose from 7% in 1999 to 17% in 2005. This will surely, in coming years, transform the profile of the working population and expand the human capital base for economic development while promoting a more participative democracy. Such a feat required the doubling of the number of state secondary schools from 34 to 70, abolition of the national ranking system for admissions to secondary schools and its replacement by 'regionalisation' of admissions.
Furthermore, the law was amended to allow all children completing primary school to proceed to secondary schools and education was made compulsory up to age 16. Most importantly, the principle of equal treatment for all chidren, whether attending private or public schools, whether handicapped or able bodied was unequivocally recognized by the state, as reflected in various budgetary measures. Furthermore, the Education Action Zones, the so called ZEPs, provided for affirmative action to target under achieving schools, invariably in the most deprived areas. A standardized form of written Kreol was agreed and a deeply divisive issue resolved with equality of status being granted to oriental languages. Entry qualifications for teachers were raised and I could go on…..
The greatest disappointments relate to the reforms that fell victim to time constraints amongst which curriculum reforms and the programme for the specially gifted, the phasing out of the CPE in its present form, the launching of polytechnics and of the Open University of Mauritius and the reform of the tertiary sector.
I hasten to add that the opinions expressed here are, at all times, my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the World Bank.
At the World Bank you have been able to get a broader picture on education
achievement in other developing countries. Looking at the bigger picture, how
does Mauritius compare? Have you learned about any successful programs in
other countries that could be applied in Maurtius?
If one compares the educational system of Mauritius to that of other countries at a
similar level of economic development or of our competitors or better still of countries we seek to emulate, it quickly becomes apparent that ours suffers from serious shortcomings and that the stock of skills and competencies of our population
is patently inadequate if we are to rise to the challenges of the global knowledge economy.
To take a few examples, in terms of enrollment at upper secondary level, Mauritius
lags behind the Seychelles, South Africa or the Czech republic, not to mention Korea or Taiwan. At tertiary level, despite rapid expansion between 2000 and 2007, to catch up with countries like Tunisia, Malaysia or Thailand, let alone the Asian Tigers will require a sustained effort over time and significantly greater resources.
If I had to pick one country Mauritius should look to for inspiration, it would undoubtedly be Singapore, which has within 40 years completely turned around the educational system it inherited from the British to make of it a formidable driver of economic growth. The country ensures that all its children have access to the same quality education up to 'O' levels while providing a fast track for the gifted. Thereafter, only a minority go onto study for 'A' levels in sixth form colleges whereas others are directed towards the polytechnic or technical education streams.
Throughout, education and training are shaped by the overall economic development
strategy and through close links to industry, remain very innovative and responsive
to labour market requirements. In fact, the education minister is also the deputy
minister for economic development. No stigma attaches to technical and vocational education and the focus is on the key competencies for life and work. In all
international assessments, in which incidentally Mauritius does not participate, Singaporean students are invariably the best in maths and science.
Critics say that education in Mauritius still lags behind when it comes to teaching students computer literacy and professional skills important to succeed in an increasingly global market. Many say it is too academic and not practical, and that the educational system has failed students in these areas. What's your opinion?
It is high time that we should consider the unsatisfactory completion and exam pass rates not merely in terms of students failing but more importantly as the system failing the students. The whole students for higher academic studies, access to which is guarded by high stake and very selective examinations. Consider these figures: Of 100 children joining standard 1, nearly a quarter do not obtain the CPE, two thirds leave school without the SC and hardly 15% get the HSC. As a result, the large numbers that fail the CPE or the SC or the HSC exams are branded as failures and end up on the labour market without the essential skills for employability or entrepreneurship and often without the life and social skills essential to responsible and active citizenship. New studies also suggest much of our post secondary. Education is to supply driven and not responsive to labour market needs.
As things now stand, are students leaving school with the skills they need to take
jobs in the new, emerging sectors of the Mauritian economy (IT, ocean
industries, hotel management, IRS, medical tourism)?
Until very recently, preparing students for entry into the world of work was not
perceived as being the role of schools but rather that of training institutions and I
believe the decision to group both education and training within a single ministerial
department was a step in the right direction.
Whereas the training sector has sought to keep pace with a rapidly changing
economic landscape , largely thanks to a collaborative effort with industry and the
private sector generally, the educational sector has not been able to build bridges with
the world of work
The role of Basic Education is to provide generic skills and a broad general education emphasizing maths and science, ICT and languages. However, there must be an alternative to the academic and pre university HSC at upper secondary level , linking up to the training systems and the world of work through a multiplicity of diverse pathways. The East Asian experience is most instructive in that regard.
The generalised teaching of ICT in schools is fraught with difficulty and very costly,
as any minister of education will tell you but in the global knowledge economy, the
ability to use information technology has become an essential life skill. Botswana is an interesting example to look at.
Mauritius is often advertised internationally as an attractive place to do business
because its population is bilingual in English and French. But in reality, many say that although students are taught both languages at school and at home, that Mauritians do not speak or write either language fluently. How can this be addressed?
For a long time, the major asset of Mauritians was their celebrated bilingualism in
English and French, which was quite rare beyond our shores. But the world has been
catching up and most educated Europeans are now bilingual and the study of
international languages is fast spreading in the wake of the drive to provide wider
educational opportunities to all. It is obvious that in order to maintain our comparative advantage in the linguistic domain, we must not only be bilingual but excel in our bilingualism.
Ours is an increasingly open economy and the only development path open to us is
premised on an ever closer integration in the global economy and whether one refers
to tourism, financial services, the information technology industry or business outsourcing generally, language mastery is of the essence. Mauritians have the rare privilege of being entitled to study for free not only the two major international languages but also that of the emerging economic giants, China and India as well as Arabic.
Beyond the barriers of social prejudice that are gradually breaking down, the key to
successful language teaching is to make learning fun by linking it to the youth culture
of the day, music and films, fashion and communication technology. All this goes back to my basic point that we need to shake up our educational system to make it more relevant and appealing, and thereby more outcomes- based and effective.
How can teacher training in Mauritius be improved? Could the World Bank, international NGOs and rich countries like the United States, the UK or France play a helpful role?
Teachers are the crucial factor in the quality of equation. One needs to focus on entry requirements, provision of training, quality of training and rewarding performance.
In recent years, entry qualifications have been upgraded to 'O' levels for pre-primary
teachers, 'A' levels for Primary and the discriminatory practice of having a lower
quota for graduate teachers in private secondary schools abolished. All pre-primary
teachers are either trained or in training. The Primary Teachers' Compulsory Pre-
Service Course has been upgraded to university diploma level but hardly more than
half of our secondary teaching force have received any pedagogical training at all.
As to the state of teacher training, while I have great respect for the staff of the Mauritius Institute of Education, I sometimes feel that we are caught in a time warp, so impervious are we to new trends and practices in the wider world. In this field, as for the other much neglected area of school leadership training for Heads, we would indeed stand to gain from partnership agreements with relevant bodies in the U.S and Europe and technical assistance from the Bank and UNESCO. Mauritian education must break out of its insular parochialism and open up to new ideas and practices. For education to meet the constantly evolving needs of society and economy alike, change is a constant and the status quo is never an option!
What's your opinion about teaching Creole as the first language of instruction in
the primary schools?
Europe, Asia, America North and South have by and large opted for teaching, at least
at primary level, in the language of the child's environment. UNESCO is unequivocal
in its recognition that the empirical evidence weighs heavily in favour of teaching
through the mother tongue at least in the early years. In Mauritius, there is however a
strong body of opinion opposed to formal recourse to Kreol in education. I believe that
the role of educationists is to make available mother tongue teaching as an option and
leave parents and teachers at school level to decide.
One could envisage the following approach. As a first step a pedagogical programme premised on Kreol as language of instruction would be crafted to the highest standards with experienced international partners such as Germany's GTZ and UNESCO. Thereafter, the programme would be offered, on a trial basis, to those the conventional approach has failed: the children of the pre-vocational stream and those in the ZEPs. However, it would be up to parents and teachers to make the decision and in no case, would the programme be imposed. With time, the success of the scheme would be evaluated. In any case, concerned students would switch to English or French as medium of instruction after a few years. The language of instruction must be viewed as a solely pedagogical issue to ensure that all children have a successful schooling.
In your opinion, are effective programs in place in schools to help children in
academic difficulty or to identify and help those with learning disabilities?
Despite the training and deployment of a few Special Educational Needs coordinators, little progress has been made. The recently announced policy of subdividing primary into three stages to allow for regular evaluation is a positive step but the challenge lies in implementation. For the whole system is geared towards catering for the high achievers and the perceived success of a school or that of a teacher lies in the number of his students admitted to the star colleges rather than in the performance of all his students and the assistance provided to those with special needs.
A recent study underlined the fact that whereas a graphical representation of exam performance is usually bell shaped to reflect a large number of average students and a small numbers of high- and under- achievers, for the Mauritian CPE one gets a U-shaped curve!
Modern education systems are tailored to cater to the needs of the majority of average students with special programmes for the specially gifted on the one hand and those with learning difficulties on the other.
What role can schools play in helping foster national unity among the many
ethnic groups in Mauritius and forging a national identity? For example, how
should Mauritian history be taught?
Increasingly, preparation for citizenship is considered an important part of schooling, and is included within the curriculum under different forms and appellations, according to national specificities: civics, citizenship education, peace studies, values education, social and personal skills…
In Mauritius, a parliamentary Select Committee had suggested the teaching of 'Cultures and civilizations of Mauritius' in the 1990s but it was never taken up. A few years back, we attempted to introduce a citizenship education programme with three major components: Human Rights and responsibilities (including gender issues), the environment, and most importantly education for multiculturalism. To my utter surprise, this proved controversial, which suggests that consensus building remains the foremost priority in driving through educational reforms and innovations.
History, together with geography, became a subject in its own right as from 2003 in primary schools but the syllabus is overloaded and the textbooks of very poor quality.
The same remarks are applicable to the lower secondary curriculum where history is taught as part of Social Studies for the first three years. It is no wonder that few students show any interest to pursue the study of history thereafter! However, even if they should, it is no longer offered as an option in most schools. It is high time that specialist schools at upper secondary level, such as the one that was opened at Rivière des Anguilles, should allow for the study of history. Fortunately, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and the University of Mauritius are showing the way.
Yet you are right to suggest that history is the harbinger of national unity in that our
shared past in facing up to natural catastrophe and to innumerable tribulations and
ordeals has forged a unique national identity and a sense of a common
destiny, that of a 'rainbow' nation that daily, practices the 'dialogue of civilisations'.
a m e r i c a n s c e n e WEEK-END --- dimanche 3 février 2008
