Mauritius School Certificate pass rate falls to 67.28%

The pass rate for the School Certificate, the end-of-secondary-school examination in Mauritius, fell from 72.65% to 67.28% in one year, reports Defimedia. Dr Hassam Sakibe Coowar, director of the Mauricia Institute, links the decline to pupils’ lack of motivation, exam pressure and the lack of career prospects for young graduates.

The education specialist believes that the Mauritian system places excessive emphasis on results and scholarships, to the detriment of pupils experiencing difficulties. He also criticises the widespread use of private lessons, which he says increases inequality and fatigue, and calls for a review of the National Certificate of Education, the examination taken after primary school and before entry to academies. Yugeshwur Kisto, president of the Government Secondary School Teachers’ Union, for his part believes that artificial intelligence may worsen learning gaps, without eliminating the need for examinations, according to Defimedia.

The decline comes as the Mauritian examination calendar was disrupted in October. The School Certificate English oral examination was postponed to 14 November, while the cancelled papers led to an agreement to retain the marks assessed by Cambridge, the British organisation that oversees these examinations (the Mauritian School Certificate English oral examination and the marks assessed by Cambridge).