Minister Bunwaree Faces Volley Of Questions From Young Journalists

The six participants felt honoured to be the first group of students offered the unique opportunity to question Dr Bunwaree on several issues pertaining to the local educational system.

The interview which lasted for over one hour has been a very enriching experience for these young people who consider the journalism field to be very appealing.

The session which comprised eight questions was chaired by the 2011 edition winner Louis Gerard Antonio.

Question 1 (Louis Gerard Antonio, student from Floréal SSS, Winner)

Like us, you have been a student, what were your expectations from the educational system at that time?

I feel that my experience as a student was better than what it is now. As a minister today, I would say that there were so many things which existed those days that have disappeared. Presently, there is a craze for the academic side while at that time, the system aimed at making better citizens out of the students. There were more extra and co-curricular activities. For example, when I was in Royal College of Port Louis, I was involved in woodwork, metal work and football among others. I was in a system that gave better results but we are working to correct the weaknesses.

Question 2: (Iqrah Azam, former student of Lady Sushil Ramgoolam SSS)

We have a lot of reasonable expectations as you might have had when you were a student. After few years as the minister of Education, what do you consider to be the loopholes in the education system?

Much has already been done but the main weakness as I said earlier is that we are not producing the best citizens for our country. We concentrate too much on the academic performance and do not prepare our students for what is to follow, like joining the world of work and to behave as a good citizen.

Problems do occur in life but we should be equipped to face them. I believe that there is always a solution for any problem and it happens in God’s good time. If only the academic part is taught, students will have difficulties to deal with real life problems. I must add that parents also have to take their responsibilities. In order to avoid gearing only towards the academic side, we are offering other possibilities such as the introduction of entrepreneurship and road safety in schools.

Question 3: (Eshna Jeebaun, Laureate from Queen Elizabeth College)

Until now we have been mostly concentrating on the academic aspect of schooling but school infrastructure and sanitary conditions play an equally important role in the success of students. However, many schools lack a proper gymnasium for P.E classes or even a good water network. What measures have you taken or are planning to undertake towards improving the infrastructure of existing schools?

I think that we are catching up on this matter and it is not as it used to be years back. Personally, I think that infrastructure should be continuously improved so that the environment remains appealing to the students, thereby discouraging them from being absent from schools and giving them the impetus to do their best. There is also a question of financial investment.

From year 2010 to March 2012, my ministry has spent some Rs 1.17 billion on infrastructural projects. A further amount of Rs 0.9 billion has been earmarked for a series of projects that are expected to be completed during this financial year or early next year namely green and sustainable school infrastructure, primary school renewal project, construction of additional classrooms and upgrading works.

Question 4: (Wissem Earally, student from Loreto College Port Louis)

Students in private schools benefit from facilities such as a psychologist and a permanent nurse. Shouldn’t these facilities be extended to state schools as well?

Physical casualties do happen in schools but I do not think that the presence of qualified nurses is necessary. Being a small country, it is easy to take the child to the nearest hospital or health centre.

We also allow parents to stay and take care of their wards in school if they suffer from health problems. In state schools, there are people who have received training in First Aid to give immediate assistance to the students.

We want the schools to have a person who is specialised and in whom the children can come and confide themselves. Some problems can be solved by the teachers themselves who often act as guides for the students. We are working on a project where the heads of schools will be trained to become real leaders.

Question 5: (Louis Gerard Antonio)

We have heard about a few reforms and we know that you are in favour of single-sex schools. However, research findings have shown that co-education offers a broader education not only in the academic field but also by enhancing communication, relational skills and mutual understanding between the sexes. What are your plans for existing single-sex schools?

Personally I have no problem with both genders studying together in the same learning environment. I must point out that while primary and higher education is co-educational, it is only at secondary level that we have a segregation of the genders in single-sex schools.

In Mauritius, we have a long tradition of separate schools for boys and girls: single-sex schools come into existence because the schooling of girls started later than that of boys. In many countries now, there has been a shift to mixed schooling. We too have, in the past, experimented with co-education in the ex-Junior Secondary Schools but this was met with a pressure from parents asking for the segregation of the genders in single-sex schools.

We are in the thinking process of converting single-sex schools into mixed schools but it will be a consensus where we have to seek the opinions of the parents and we will also conduct a survey in this respect.

Question 6 (Jaynesh Narroo, student from John Kennedy College)

My question pertains to the activity period introduced some three years ago. While some students are involved in truly worthwhile projects, others are not concrete. Could you please tell us how activity periods are being handled and what have been achieved so far?

I am very satisfied with the introduction of this new project which is going on very well. We also have a monitoring team and special officers who have been recruited to follow the activity periods. Almost all state secondary schools have activity periods which cover a wide range of topics.

For instance, we have introduced sex education. It is not a subject but has been taken up in other subjects where all details concerning sexual education are given to young people. I am satisfied that the programme is gradually meeting its objectives and living up to its expectations.

Question 7 (Kelvin Sudasson, former student of St Joseph College)

Since the inception of our education system, the framework designed has been promoting elitism; a social scourge, having at its roots, the CPE exams. The rat race to access star schools causes stress and frustration of our students. As the minister of Education, what are you planning to soothe the elitist attributes deeply-rooted in our society?

The rat race is still present and the CPE exams are being used as a means to select the best. The diagnosis of the problem has already been done and we are trying to find the best treatment. Mauritius is among the few countries which has such an examination at the end of the primary cycle. Here, the preparation for CPE starts from Standard III and the pressure falls on the child. What is important is to find out if the child is ready to move with the secondary education and this is why we have introduced assessment at Form III level. We want to give the students the possibility to reflect upon themselves and make the right choices of subjects.

Question 8: (Louis Gerard Antonio)

As a minister, could you share with us some memories you cherish about being a student? Would you have guessed that you would occupy the seat you are now when you ended school life?

I am not surprised. I used to be form captain in all classes. I think that it has something to do with the character of the person. People liked to cling around me in those days and it kick-started the process. You should learn by your mistakes and what you see around you. My motto as a politician and minister is that I always try to put myself in the shoes of the other person. It is 100 per cent successful but the more you try, the betteryou will understand the person and find the appropriate solution.