Port Louis — The SC results are out. Does this certificate reflect the Mauritian context? Although some local components have been added, the MES could go further, according to some pedagogues... But not too far!

Only a small part of the papers for the School Certificate, which results were delivered yesterday, are prepared and marked by Mauritians.

Slowly, but surely. This is how the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate (MES) sees the change occurring in the School Certificate (SC) exams. While the MES director, Lucien Finette, clearly says that the SC will never become 100% Mauritian, he, however, agrees to a diploma jointly delivered by Cambridge and the MES in the long-term.

But what about the syllabus? Could a programme more adapted to the local context be considered by Cambridge? The opinions of the pedagogues questioned show that there are mixed feelings about this particular issue The idea of achieving a more local type of exam is not new, according to the former MES director, Surendra Bissoondoyal. "We had already started to adapt some parts of the programme to the local context when I was at the head of the MES. We introduced some local components in the programme for subjects such as French, History and Geography We had discussions with Cambridge representatives and we introduced these changes without much difficulty", he explains.

The right balanceAchieved

This is also the opinion of Prem Burton, former director of the Private Secondary Schools Authority (PSSA). "It is already the case - and not only at Form V level. Textbooks of the Mauritius Institute of Education have been made more Mauritian It is also the case for the SC."

However, unlike Surendra Bissondoyal, who thinks "we could go further", Prem Burton believes that we have achieved the right balance. "Of course, we should adapt the syllabus to the local context but we should not go too far. Pupils must still be in touch with other cultures and civilisations and creating a more local exam should not prevent this from happening."

As many of those having sat for the SC exams choose not to continue school and to look for a job, the examinations could prepare them more for the world of work. The boom in the business process outsourcing sector - specifically call-centres - could be one of the reasons for the review of the syllabus, for instance. Here again, Surendra Bissoondoyal makes it clear that oral classes were reintroduced while he was still at the head of the examinations institution. "Oral classes used to exist about 40 years ago but were abolished for practical reasons. I reintroduced them when I arrived at the MES."

If he is in favour of achieving a Mauritian SC exam in the long term - he insists on the necessity of a "gradual" change - he thinks however that the MES should not cut itself off totally from the British institution. "We already have some question papers prepared and marked in Mauritius and this trend must grow in the future. However, we must keep the bond with Cambridge in order to have international standards and also for the subjects where there are only a few candidates." This would guarantee Mauritian students a wider choice of subjects, according to the former MES director.

More subtle Approach

The present director has a more subtle approach. If he agrees that an increasing number of papers should be prepared and marked by Mauritians, he makes it clear that the MES "does not have enough resources to ensure the same service as Cambridge".

As for Prem Burton, he is cautious about the idea of increasing the Mauritian input. "Mauritius is a small country and everyone knows one another. It is true that there are some exceptions but the risk of having leakages can't be ignored. There have been some cases where teachers have sold exam papers to their pupils for internal exams. We can't take the risk." Aware that some papers are already being prepared and marked in Mauritius, he "supposes that the MES has succeeded in implementing a system that is more or less fool-proof" but he would not recommend going further with such a system.

In fact, Prem Burton's stand reflects that of many stakeholders of the education sector as well as parents. Achieving a more local SC appears to be coming up against a lack of trust in Mauritian institutions. And more confidence will certainly not be achieved if incidents such as the errors in the French papers at SC level last year or the misdemeanours in recruitment by the Public Service Commission keep occurring. Yet other important exams are totally handled by Mauritians (see inset) and are fully recognised here and abroad.

A matter of financial resources...

â- One of the main arguments of those in favour of ending the partnership with Cambridge is a financial one. The country has to pay around Rs 100 million each year to the British institution for the School Certificate and Higher School Certificate exams. As the government keeps on saying that its budget is very tight - with the end of subsidies for the SC and HSC fees this year - the Mauritian SC appears as a way of reducing costs But the MES seems to believe that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages

Locally made...

â- The Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) exam papers have been prepared and marked by local staff for years now after being under the aegis of Moray House. This could be an example for the School Certificate in the future. The CPE is the most important exam and represents a lot for parents and pupils but there have been no suspicions about the way papers are handled in recent years. Cader Kalla, a former CPE examiner, made it clear that "standard criteria are applied" for the marking. He also said that risks of leakage could easily be dealt with by planning another paper that could immediately replace the one which was leaked. The Lycée Polytechnique de Flacq is another example of an institution that caters for its own exams and its diplomas are recognised by French universities, for instance