[Blog] SC 2025 Results: A Wake-Up Call for Mauritius’ Education System

By Dharamraj Deenoo, civic steward.

Port Louis, January 2026 – The publication of the SC 2025 results has triggered a wave of concern across Mauritius. For many, these results are not just statistics; they are a wake-up call exposing the fragility of our education system. The debate is no longer about minor adjustments but about whether Mauritius is willing to embrace genuine reform rooted in evidence, accountability, and community participation.

Reform Without Renewal

Every change of government brings with it a new Minister of Education, and with each minister comes a new reform. Yet the reforms are often designed and implemented by the same insiders who have overseen the system for decades. No independent study is commissioned to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and no foreign expertise is invited to guide national policy. The result is a cycle of reform without renewal—cosmetic changes that fail to address structural problems.
This lack of evidence-based policymaking has left Mauritius vulnerable. Without a clear audit of pedagogy, infrastructure, teacher training, and student well-being, reforms risk being reactive rather than transformative. The SC 2025 results highlight the consequences of this inertia.

The Parallel Tuition Industry

Running parallel to the formal education system is a booming private tuition industry. Conditions within schools often push students toward tuition, creating dependency and inequality. Families who can afford extra lessons gain an advantage, while others are left behind.

Beyond economics, tuition carries social risks. In some cases, the culture around tuition fosters promiscuity and delinquency, with students looking forward more to the social environment of tuition classes than to formal schooling. This shadow system undermines the integrity of education and distracts from the classroom’s central role.

Parent Monitoring Committees

One way forward is the establishment of Parent Monitoring Committees in every school. These committees would:

•    Ensure syllabi are fully completed within the academic year.
•    Monitor programmes to guarantee timely delivery.
•    Act as a safety guard against bullying, school violence, and drug proliferation.
•    Provide parents with a direct role in safeguarding the learning environment.

By embedding parents into the oversight structure, schools can strengthen trust and create a more secure, supportive environment for students.

Independent Monitoring Squad

Reformers also propose the creation of an Independent Monitoring Squad to oversee both schools and private tuition sites.

•    This squad could be composed of retired head teachers and rectors, bringing experience and impartiality.
•    Their role would be to monitor discipline, ensure curriculum consistency, and provide an additional layer of security.
•    By extending oversight to tuition centers, the squad would help curb risks of exploitation, misconduct, and unsafe environments.

Registration of Tuition Educators

A further safeguard would be the mandatory registration of all educators providing private tuition with the Ministry of Education.

•    This ensures consistency in curriculum application.
•    It creates accountability and transparency in the parallel tuition industry.
•    It protects students from unregulated practices and reinforces the primacy of the national education framework.

Anticipating Resistance

It is inevitable that educators and trade unions will raise concerns. They may view parent committees and monitoring squads as intrusive, or fear that registration requirements will undermine their autonomy. These concerns must be acknowledged. Reform cannot succeed if it alienates the very people tasked with delivering education.

The solution lies in dialogue and partnership. Teachers should be engaged as allies, not adversaries. Parent committees and monitoring squads must be framed as support structures, not punitive ones. Registration of tuition educators should be presented as a professional recognition, ensuring that all educators are part of a unified national framework.

The Role of International Expertise

To avoid the perception of reforms being imposed without consultation, Mauritius must anchor its education strategy in independent, internationally guided studies. A letter to the Minister of Education should affirm that his intentions are good, but that reforms must be supported by a study carried out by UNESCO and UNICEF experts if available.

Such a study would:

•    Provide an objective audit of the system’s strengths and weaknesses.
•    Benchmark Mauritius against global best practices.
•    Offer recommendations that balance local realities with international standards.
•    Guide national policy with credibility and evidence.

By inviting UNESCO and UNICEF, Mauritius signals that it is serious about reform, willing to learn, and committed to placing students at the center of policy.

A Call to Action

The SC 2025 results should not be treated as a passing headline. They are a national alarm bell. Mauritius faces a choice: continue the cycle of superficial change, or embrace evidence-driven, participatory reform that places dignity, equity, and accountability at the heart of education.
Parent committees, independent monitoring squads, and tuition registration are practical steps. But they must be supported by international expertise to ensure reforms are credible, inclusive, and sustainable. Only then can Mauritius build an education system worthy of its children and resilient enough for its future.