Socioeconomic Development 923. 924. 925. 318 Chapter 6 Reforms at the preprimary, primary and secondary levels are aimed as follows: • • • • • • There has been an abolition of ranking/classification at the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) level, this being substituted by a grading system which allows entry into national and regional colleges, depending on the grades obtained. Generally, education has been made compulsory up to the age of 16, i.e. 11 years worth of free compulsory education is being provided. Adopting the principle of regionalisation at the secondary education level and constructing schools of equal standing in all regions. Eliminating the distribution of pupils by levels in schools. Promoting science and technology in the education system. Equipping children with useful skills for society and the world of work. Although Mauritius has managed to maintain its free education policy at the primary and secondary levels, there are a number of problems and challenges. There are serious problems of inequality, which are manifested in inadequate regional and ethnic performance. Although the state has created a vast network of primary and secondary institutions throughout the nation, there are important differences in the level of standards. These differences are glaring in the secondary education sector, where a small number of institutions, considered as ‘lead establishments’, attract students from all the regions. More specifically, the CPE flies in the face of the ‘Education for All’ concept. It prioritises academic performance and neglects the emotional and psychological development of the child. The government has approved programmes, which in the long term should lead to the abolition of the CPE, but it has implemented very few recommendations since. Another stormy debate is about introducing the mother tongue as a medium of instruction in primary schools. Successive governments attempted to raise the level of performance of the most inefficient schools. They called the first initiative the ‘project schools’, now called Zone d’Education Prioritaire (ZEP). The ZEP project is an integrated strategy that aims to address failure rates in the CPE examination, improve the performance of disadvantaged children in the weak establishments, improve infrastructural facilities and the environment, and eliminate exclusions, poverty and discrimination from schools. Chapter 6 Socioeconomic Development 926. At the end of its analysis, the CSAR recommends that the government: • • Improves the quality of equipment in public health structures and reduces the staff shortages; relaunches the sensitisation campaigns on HIV and AIDS, and includes schools in the campaign; increases the penalties for drug trafficking; and enforces the ban on smoking in public places. Emphasises cultural activities more in teaching programmes from the primary level; increases the capacity of universities to accept students; and introduces on-the-job training for teachers. ii. Findings of the CRM 927. The CRM thinks that the CSAR has addressed the basic social sectors clearly, particularly education and health, and that Mauritius has made considerable progress in these areas. The country is in the process of finalising its 2009/2020 strategy for education after a participatory process and very rich national debates. However, the strategy for the health sector has been delayed. It has developed a 2015 strategy, organised around the MDGs, for maternal and child care. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the other sectors. It is necessary to harmonise sectoral strategies (including their time frames) and integrate them with a comprehensive plan. 928. The state has eradicated communicable diseases, although HIV and AIDS still cause concern. Current maternal and infant mortality rates are among the lowest in developing countries. With regard to noncommunicable diseases, which are now the main causes of death, it has developed sensitisation, prevention and treatment programmes. 929. Universal and free access to health care is one of the major characteristics of the public health system in Mauritius. It meets the needs of the people quite well, but it is faced by ever-increasing demand and suffers from market saturation. The queues for consultations are getting longer and there are sometimes considerable delays before patients can undergo serious surgery. The quality of treatment is sometimes poor, even in those cases that are less critical. 930. Mauritians are increasingly using private health facilities. According to the WHO, private health spending is 51.1 per cent of total health expenditure in Mauritius. The extremely rapid development of structures and private clinics during these past years is certainly an illustration of an entrepreneurial dynamism and a demand for high- 319