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Mauritius: Revamping the Pre-Primary to Give All Kids a Better Start in Life

Patrick Hilbert

29 April 2008

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opinion

Port Louis — The ministry of Education is coming with a revised plan for the pre-school sector. It includes a new regulating body, which will make sure that each child is given the opportunity to bridge the gap between home and school.

Each and every child deserves a good start in life. Unfortunately though, all children don't start with the same advantages, but early childhood care and education is a way to try to get things even. Significant reforms are under way to make it respond to the "cognitive, psychomotor, affective and kinesthetic, moral and spiritual needs and development of the child", as stated by the minister of Education, Dharam Gokhool, lately.

A new institution will replace the Pre-School Trust Fund (PSTF). The Early Childhood Care and Education Authority will come with a brand new institutional framework, which will ensure an efficient regulation and management of this sector in Mauritius. There was a strong need for this. Meanwhile, pre-school program guidelines are being reviewed to ensure that there are "strong developmental and pedagogical links from home to pre-school and from pre-school to primary schooling".

Until now, early childhood was not the priority of educational authorities. They preferred to stress on primary and secondary education. This has resulted in a rather unequal pre-primary sector where there is a variety of institutions offering a wide range of programs and services of different levels. While some are almost free of charge, others cost a lot of money, up to Rs 6,000 per month.

At present, the country has about 1,100 kindergartens for some 35 000 children. 850 are managed by the private sector while about 190 are under the aegis of the PSTF. The remaining number is run by municipalities and district councils.

Besides, a certain number of children don't even attend pre-school. As Kaveeraj Sahadew, chairman of the PSTF, stated some time ago, "4% of four-year olds don't go to school with all the consequences when they start Standard I". Government wants to reduce this to nil.

Gain a positive appreciation of self and others

Scientific evidence has proved that, without pre-school, a child is doomed not only to fail his schooling but also to have a complex relation with the surrounding world. "If children are offered high quality pre-school education and early years enriched program and care services, it fosters higher education completion rates and better integration to schools and few drop-outs, reduced needs for special education, higher employment rates and earnings, higher rates of home ownership and lower crime rates at both juvenile and adult levels", said Dharam Gokhool at the opening ceremony of Cité Florida pre-primary school in Baie-du-Tombeau, which took place at the end of February.

Bearing this in mind, the type of education at an early age should also be taken into account. Some see early childhood care and education merely as a preparation for school, but it's not. It is also about making the most of the amazing ability which every young child has to learn and absorb new aspects of life and adopt new patterns of behaviour.

The major part of learning at this age is about learning how to relate to others, how to become a person in a world of people, and how to make sense of the seemingly endless newness of the world around them. First, from birth to age five or six, a child develops many of the psychological and social aptitudes that will form the basis of its approach to life as an adult. It is therefore a crucial period for enabling a child to gain a positive appreciation of self, of others and of the world around. Early learning and care will enhance this development.

Furthermore, active learning and stimulation in the early years prepare a child well for getting the most out of school. Good quality early childhood care and education sets the foundation for children's future personal and educational development. UNESCO puts it as follows: "Pre-primary education, no matter how brief it lasts, must promote the child's holistic development. The emphasis should be on a well-balanced development. Health, nutrition, a safe and clean environment, and outreach to parents and communities should not be of any less importance for the education and care of pre-primary age children."

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