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This report is about the major dysfunction of the Mauritian educational systemwhich
is to be found in the bottleneck situation constraining access from primary to secondary
education.

Among the 18,000 children who pass the CPE examination every year, only 1000 students secure
a place in µStar Schools¶. In order to secure a place in the high demand star schools, there is
intense competition among students and this competition results in a µRat Race¶. This
competition exerts psychological pressure on pupils as well as their parents.

One way of ending this rat race is by abolishing CPE ranking. CPE ranking acts as an instrument
of selection to distinguish the few hundred to be admitted to the star schools from the rest. Thus,
the aims and objectives of primary education have been perverted by the rat race to make
children obtain a place in one of the µstar¶ secondary schools. With the abolition of CPE ranking,
schooling reclaims its primary function, which is the holistic development of the child.

To eliminate the Rat Race, a strategy was set up. This strategy consisted in abolishing ranking
and eliminating the need for ranking through a four-pronged approach.
The four-pronged approach:
. Adoption of the grade system as the measure of achievement.
2. Construction of new State Secondary Schools.
3. Transformation of µStar¶ Sate Secondary Schools into Form Sixth Colleges.
4. Regionalisation of admission to Form 1.
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Ranking is eliminated by the introduction of a fair and objective grading system which eschews
the excessive competition of the ranking system while providing an appropriate assessment
mechanism and preserving an element of healthy competition conducive to academic
achievement.

 
   

 


Extension, renovation and construction of secondary schools so as to vastly increase the choice
of State Secondary Schools given to students in all regions of Mauritius.

      


 
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The conversion of high demand state secondary schools into Form VI colleges so as to
ensure µparity of esteem¶ between state secondary schools (Form I-V) and thereby
eliminate the need for so extreme an instrument of selection as the CPE ranking.

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Regionalisation of admissions to Form I so as to guarantee a fair measure of parental
choice but within a given geographical region. In so doing, another flaw of the CPE
ranking, the arbitrary attribution of Form I places in total disregard of residence, is done
away with. Students do not have to travel long distances, over long hours.


  




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This study was carried out by MES from 1987 ± 1990 and it was sponsored by UNICEF.

This study answered the following questions:

‰| What are the determinants of performance at CPE?

‰| What is the impact of such determinants in high, average and low achieving schools?
‰| Are there any significant difference between pupils and schools according to
geographical location in urban, sub-urban, rural, remote rural and coastal areas?
‰| What factors are associated with failure at CPE? What are the problems with CPE
failures?

The study had revealed that the main factors which have a determining influence on academic
achievement are:

‰| Pupil¶s characteristics and general intelligence

‰| Socio-economic status of parents, parental interest and support
‰| School¶s qualities, both physical and human resources.

Important facts that were noticed during the study are:

‰| Incidence of malnutrition among CPE pupils

‰| 'istance travelled to attend school
‰| Pre-school experiences
‰| Private tuition
‰| Availability of extra books
‰| Pupil¶s perception of the teacher
‰| Pupil¶s perception of the curriculum
‰| Îanguage spoken at home
‰| Parental interest and support
13 variables were selected as determinants of performance at CPE level:

‰| åeneral intelligence
‰| Extra educational activities
‰| Standard 5 results
‰| Pupil¶s involvement in his studies
‰| Socio-economic status
‰| Parental interest
‰| Teacher¶s classroom performance
‰| Teacher¶s attitude
‰| Teacher¶s motivation
‰| ead teacher¶s attitude
‰| 'eputy ead teacher¶s attitude
‰| School size
‰| School amenities.

The study revealed that pupils failed at CPE level because of low parental interest, low pupil
involvement and deprivation of additional educational facilities.

It was noticed that higher socio-economic status increased parental interest and pupil¶s
involvement which contribute positively towards achievement at CPE. Whereas, failing students
came from low socio-economic status. The study also showed that pupil¶s absenteeism beyond
16 days and teacher¶s absenteeism beyond 13 days have a negative impact on pupil¶s
achievement at CPE.


  





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This report is about how to upgrade the performance level of low achieving schools.and to do so
the µZEP¶ approach was taken into consideration.
The ' ZEP' concept defines the school within its environment and aims at mobilising all the
resources within the Zone to contribute in raising the standard of achievement of the school.
Therefore it is important to empower ead Teachers and his/her team, crafting a shared vision
and mission and implementing a school development plan with all the other key players in
education, that is, the parents, the community-based associations, NåOs, and business
organisations.

On the pedagogical front, the 'ZEP' approach allows for flexibility and greater autonomy for
completing the cycles of learning as the curriculum is not time-bound.

The philosophy of the 'Zones d'Education Prioritaires' (Z.E.P.) is based on the premise that
positive reinforcement is required to create favourable learning conditions for children living
mostly in the less developed regions. This approach aims to reduce school inequalities and in a
broader perspective, to combat social inequalities by providing equal opportunities to all primary
school children of the Republic of Mauritius.

The 'Z.E.P ' strategy was established to improve performance in schools in challenging
circumstances. It was noted that there is a positive correlation between low school performance
and delayed development of regions. Social inequalities and lack of community support for
school do negatively impact on the school performance.

Priority in this project was placed on equity with the necessary financial support to assure equal
opportunity. ence, upgrading the overall infrastructure of 'Z.E.P.' schools was considered a
priority as it formed part of the deliberate effort to create the most favourable conditions for
learning to take place. Projects such as the following were also planned to be carried out:
Renewal/upgrading of classroom furniture, to make provision for reading rooms, sports and
playground facilities among others. ZEP schools also had the responsibility to compensate for
environmental constraints. And to do so, they have to: Promote the integration of early childhood
development programmes, introduce a ealth and Nutrition programme and provide School kits,
shoes, uniforms and transport facilities for children in need.
µZ.E.P.' schools are encouraged to innovate, both in terms of the pedagogical content and the
way it is delivered. Innovation was intended to take place in three areas: space and time
management, medium of delivery and support of external resource persons:

‰| Experiment with greater use of non-classroom settings

‰| 'iscount the time-bound curriculum and instead ensure that children complete their cycle
of learning
‰| åreater use of teaching language which is most child friendly
‰| Use of after normal school hours free tuition scheme and holiday revision centres
‰| Support of external resource persons: volunteers, NåOs, parents, peers could participate
in the overall effort to facilitate learning


  



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´| The lesson plan helps the teacher to guide class instruction and hence ensure the smooth
delivery of the lesson¶s content.
´| While developing the lesson plan, the teacher selects the most appropriate method of
teaching and considers the student¶s interest and the availability of materials.
´| The lesson plan enables the teacher to use time effectively and ensure the topic has been
covered properly and did not miss certain key points.
´| When the teacher prepares the lesson plan, he/she becomes self-confident, gets an
overview of how the class will be conducted and also he/she is prepared for unexpected
answers or questions from students.
´| The lesson plan gives the teacher a sense of direction and creates a flow in the class.
´| In short, the lesson plan facilitates the teaching and learning process.

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Pupils may not respond when the teacher asks questions and this may happen for various
reasons. Some of these reasons may be:

‰| The pupils do not know the answer,

‰| The pupils are afraid they may give a wrong answer,
‰| The pupils are shy or
‰| The pupils do not understand the questions.

The pupils may not be attentive in class and may even disrupt the class. This problem may occur
mainly if the students do not find the topic interesting or the content is too bulky or the pupils are
tired and lack concentration. All children do not develop at the same pace. Children who master
concepts much faster as well as those who master them at much slower rate can feel bored and
become disruptive if their needs cannot be met in the class.
The pupils may have problems understanding the concepts being taught. The teacher has failed
to understand the children¶s ability and their level of understanding. The teacher may not have
taken into consideration the prior knowledge and the learning experiences of the students. Also it
is important for the teacher to keep in mind that different students have different learning styles
hence, the teacher should consider using various teaching strategies.

The teacher may also face difficulties because of time management. Time allocated to each step
may varie; the teacher may take less or more time than he/she planned. Therefore it can happen
that the teacher may not be able to complete the lesson.

The teacher may not know how to handle unexpected answers or questions from the students.
Also, the teacher may have difficulty in managing the class during the activity period.

Îuckily, all these problems can be avoided by taking certain measures.