THE PROVISION AND FINANCING OF QUALITY SECONDARY EDUCATION THROUGH PPP IN MAURITIUS

1
THE PROVISION AND FINANCING OF QUALITY SECONDARY
EDUCATION THROUGH PPP IN MAURITIUS A SUCCESS
STORY

• Praveen Mohadeb
• mohadeb_at_intnet.mu

2

• The Problem

• Pressures for free and compulsory secondary
  education
• Need to reform the provision and financing of
  secondary education
• PPP as an alternative

3
Objectives of the study

• To share the experiences of Mauritius on PPP
  provision and financing of secondary education
• To expose a successful PPP model in the
  development of secondary education
• To demonstrate how a policy on private provision
  and PPP can affect access to and equity in post
  primary education
• To identify lessons that can be learnt from this
  experience which can guide to other SSA countries
  that are considering similar reforms.

4
Research methodology

• Basically desk research
• Review of national policies, regulatory
  frameworks and strategies for private provision
  and of public-private partnerships
• Analysis of information, data, reports and
  publications
• Latest data - 2005.

5
(No Transcript)
6
(No Transcript)
7

• Main findings/ results
• Primary Education has always been free in
  Mauritius
• The Government extended free education to the
  secondary level in 1977 for all students up to
  the age of 20
• It made education compulsory up to age 16 in
  2005.

8
Main findings/ results The private sector
plays a key role in the provision of education
At independence in 1968, the State provision
6 and Private sector 94 (private-aided 16
and private non- aided 78) In 2005 83 for
pre-primary 25 primary 66 secondary 58
pre-vocational and 50 for tertiary

9
(No Transcript)
10
Main findings/ results

• The private secondary schools opened up access to
  secondary education to many students from lower
  income groups, for whom no other avenues were
  available.
• Education is not just the concern of the
  Government in Mauritius. The system of education
  comprises several partners
• -private schools (aided and non-aided)
• -non governmental organisations
• -education authorities
• -religious bodies
• -parastatal institutions
• -parents and
• -the community at large.

11
Main findings/ results

• The Private Secondary Schools Authority (PSSA)
  was created to channel assistance to, and
  exercise control over, private secondary schools
  supplemented by a range of incentive grants which
  are provided to encourage the managers of private
  secondary schools to improve infrastructure
  facilities for teaching, learning and sports.

12
Main findings/ results

• Main objectives of PSSA
• 1. Promoting and encouraging education in
  secondary schools
• 2. Paying grants properly accruing to private
  secondary schools
• 3. Registration and inspection of private
  secondary schools, the Principals, Rectors,
  Managers and teachers.
• PSSA has a vital and decisive role to play both
  as a regulator and a vehicle to upgrade the
  quality of services provided by private secondary
  schools so as to ensure that
• 1. Government gets value for money invested in
  the Sector
• 2. The goals set by the Government in providing
  a World Class Quality Education for All are
  achieved.

13
Main findings/ results PSSA Grant Formula

• 1. Operations Grant
• Personnel Expenses
• Teaching Staff Costs Non-teaching Staff Costs
• Other Operational Expenses
• Per Capita Grant Per Student-Subject Element
• 2. Management Grant
• Basic Element
• Fixed Element Percentage of other
  operational expenses
• Incentive Elements Academic Facilities
  Sports and recreational facilities Academic
  Performance Participation and Performance in
  Sports Extra Mural Activities

14
Main findings/ results
Despite wide disparity in unit costs, differences
in pass rates between State and Private schools
are not significant taking into account that
private schools enrol students whose
performances are generally lower at the CPE level
than of State schools. In 2005 pass rate At SC
73.3 for private against 89.9 for State
(Avg.78.4) At HSC 73.8 for private against
82.8 for State (Avg.78.2)
15

• There has always been a high social demand for
  education in Mauritius
• Mauritians place a high value on education
• Different national development plans since
  independence n had similar objectives for
  education mainly laying stress on broadening
  access, equality of opportunity, diversified
  curriculum, promotion of science and technology,
  technical and vocational education, improvement
  of the quality of education and strengthening
  management of the education system.
• Strong political commitment to education on the
  part of successive Governments and Ministers and
  hence continuity in implementation of major
  education policies

16
Main findings/ results

• Cost and Efficiency (ADEA, CODESRIA -2001)
• Lower Average Unit Cost in private secondary
  schools
• Higher Average PTR in private secondary schools
  than State schools
• Higher Average Class Size in private secondary
  schools.
• Lower Average Teacher Class ratio in private
  secondary schools.
• Teachers in private schools are licenced to
  teach several subjects
• Lower costs in private secondary schools -
  substantial savings

17
Private tuition

• The costs of extra tuition represent a
  significant investment that increases as more
  tuition is taken. A study carried out on the
  subject by the MIE (T R Morisson, 1997) revealed
  that the percentage of income depending on the
  number of subjects taken as private tuition could
  range from 5 percent up to 83 percent (for up to
  five subjects at SC level and up to four subjects
  at HSC level).
• Private tuition is an integral part of the
  provision of education in Mauritius. Seen in
  this perspective, it can be argued that private
  tuition is a parallel system of education and an
  informal form of PPP.

18
Main findings/ results

• The most favoured schools in Mauritius are State
  schools
• Private schools are generally less well funded
  and cater mostly for the children of the families
  at the lower rungs of the socio-cultural ladder.
• The Mauritian elite is formed and produced by a
  State-sponsored schooling.
• Such schools receive a full measure of State
  support and are not schools of any particular
  community. Their children may come from all
  strata of the society and all ethnic groups.

19
Conclusion

• The Mauritian experience shows that access,
  equity, quality, and relevance have on the whole
  improved significantly through this innovative
  PPP delivery system
• Government has always honoured its contractual
  obligations towards private schools
• It has made special concessions so that they may
  continue to offer efficient educational services
  to Mauritian children.
• Government has never taken any action with a
  view to reduce the importance or to close or
  nationalise private schools.
• It has believed more in a PPP approach to the
  provision of education but reserving the right to
  regulate and intervene to ensure access, equity
  and quality.

20
Conclusion

• Government has taken a series of measures to
  eliminate disparities within the Secondary
  Education Sector.
• Develop and upgrade infrastructure and physical
  facilities in private secondary schools.
• Rationalised assessment criteria for academic
  and sports facilities to provide better
  incentives to Managers of schools to invest more
  in educational and recreational facilities.
• Improved salaries and conditions of service of
  staff in the private secondary schools bringing
  parity of esteem in the system.

21
Conclusion

• The public-private participation ratio is likely
  to change in Mauritius
• The public share will increase although the
  private share will grow for pre-vocational
  schools
• With the projected decline in enrolment in
  primary and secondary, the Government plan may
  not necessarily lead to the closure of private
  schools but would bring about a potentially
  positive effect by implementing quality measures
  such as decreasing class sizes
• The closure of schools, however, could happen but
  most private schools that have been long
  identified as substandard have not ceased to
  exist.