Nine years of schooling for girls (as well as boys) would be a great benefit to the educational system as well as the society. Few systems of schooling actually teach "critical thought"; this is the job of universities. Schooling should provide education to make choices about essential elements of work and family including basic business skills and the number of children.

"The seed defines the plant"

I don't think it would be too beneficial!

We are all aware of the educational system in Mauritius, it is at its crucial point. If we have a look at the passing rate of SC or HSC, it is greater than 80-85%. However, if we plot a distribution graph to analyse those results more carefully, we can observe that the number of students passing with 'D's and 'E's is tremendously huge (even at university level). 

You said something interesting "Some of us complain that a large majority of our students come to university without having developed a critical mind in anyway whatsoever and often pursue the rote learning that they have been used to at primary and secondary school." As an exemplar, I would like to quote this expression "C'etait une beau samdi matin". This expression everyone, even you and I used it in almost all our French essays. Why??? because we were taught of starting our essay like that. The point I want to make here is that we were bound by metaphysical and social constraints from an early age. At university level, we all know the problem being faced by students, they can't adapt to the environment complaining about notes, no proper staff, too many assignment or whatsoever.  Despite that fact, most of them do not make the effort to learn by themselves, not taking the pain to complete their assignments or some of them even working for only a 40% pass.

This is not an immediate effect of the whole system, rather from where I see it, this mentality was developed from an early age. we were too dependent on 'parrot learning'. Students do not bother to learn, unless there is an examination. Abolishing CPE examination would cause a major problem in the near future. Having a simple calculation, CPE students were of 11 years old, now after nine  years of schooling programme they would be at 14 years old for their examination. They would not bother to learn because after 2 years (16 years old) they may officially stop going to school (according to Mauritian legislatures). There should be competition in one's life for self evaluation. 

P.S: just my philosophy

Hello Hashwiwi,

I have just jioned ResearchGate a few weeks ago but after reading one of your responce statements I had to respond. I must admit to being stuned, shocked, appalled,  but not supprised these prehistoric ideas are still being spewed (talk raido is a prime example) on the idea of what it is to be "educated" coming out of K-12 educational system. I want to get this exactly correct, it is not the job of K-12 schools to "teach" critical thinking skills it is up to the universities! What it means to be educated after 13 years of schooling an educated young adult should be able to "make essential choices about work and family including basic business skils and number of children". Wow,

With the above in mind what are the consequences? A fair question I think. First the SAT tests need to be changed to only include questions about work and family, second the college essay must only include the same, no evaluations of a persons ability to think because againg it is not the job of K-12 to "teach" this skill. So I guess the job of K-12 and what college requirments come down to is to measure thew deptness of the indoctrination process by that result a decession is made. Does anybody see the upcomming issue?

So here I am a college professor about to teach say western civilazation and ask oh can anybody tell me the differencwe between the political systems of Sparta and Athens, oh wait a minute neither history or foreign history was taught, compare and contrast skills were not taught,  political issues, legal systems, ect but damn fine job K-12 this graduate certainly knows basic business skills and how many children in a family to have.

One more out of the 100's of issues I could bring up is, from this philosophical stand point who gets in and who is excluded from the university. Hum? With the average coast of just tiution around $12,000 + $3.000 (books) + $10,000 (room and Board) + $8,000 (essentials) comes to around (I hope my basic business skills work) = $33,000 a year at minimum. Here we go business skills one more time. $1,020 (average mortgage payment) + $350.00 (car payment) + $525.00 (insurance home life auto health) + $500.00 (food, basin bills, clothing) + &200.00 (credit cards) + $200.00 (intertainment) $2,795 per month PLUS $280.00 (student loan payment) = $3,505 per month TIMES 12 = $36,600.00 per year with no savings. 

Sorry basic slills PLUS decision. U.S anerage yearly income per house hold $51,00.00 with 66% of individual income (this means one income per house hold) less than $41,000 PLUS U.S. poverty rate $19,790.00.

Decision time if roughly 70% of American hosehols are making $40,000.00 no lets say $44,000 MINUS $36,600.00 = $7,400.00 DIVIDED by 12 = $616.00 unspent monies OH NO WHAT ABOUT TAXES, MEDICAL EMERGENCY (NOT COVERED).

In the end we have from the responce above a two class system, one in which the responder appears to in and people like me. What is that I hear, Marie Antionette "let me eat cake".

With much sadness

Douglas