Republic of Mauritius- Quality Assurance Framework to chart roadmap for school improvement

In her address, the Minister said that the framework is line with the vision of the Ministry which aims at creating the next generation innovative leaders contributing to the transformation of Mauritius into a prosperous nation. It is also aligned with the International commitments that the Ministry has taken vis-à-vis the Continental Education Strategy for Africa which matches the 2016-2025 Framework of the African Union 2063 Agenda, she added. The international commitment, she recalled, also goes towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals for education, that is, SDG 4, which enunciates that Member States have to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning for all.

The education system, the Minister stated rests on four pillars namely access, equity, relevance and quality and in the same endeavour, Government has come up with the QAF to set a benchmark for quality education in our education system. She indicated that the first step towards implementing the framework is to create and maintain a quality culture within schools adding that rectors have a key role to play in the change process. She further said that quality assurance mechanism is meant to secure internal efficiency and monitor the quality of education dispensed. She thus, called for collaboration between schools and the Quality Assurance and Inspection Division (QAID) of the Ministry.  

Minister Dookun-Luchoomun reiterated Government’s commitment to make the education system a modern and inclusive one and to that effect, she indicated that a number of projects have been earmarked in Budget 2019-2020 to provide a more conducive learning environment for our learners. One of them includes the setting up of an academy of teachers to further strengthen professional development of school leaders and educators.

Also present at the launching ceremony, the Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry, Mr Ragen, recalled the vision of the QAID which is to embed quality in every aspect of school life for effective and efficient education delivery and improved student outcomes in a globally competitive environment. The QAF, he said, will provide schools with an effective tool to gauge the effectiveness of its own internal quality assurance system and help rectors identify and reflect on the weaknesses of the school. He urged rectors to establish a culture that promotes excellence, equality of opportunity and high expectations among all level of staff in order to ensure high quality education and accountability in the system.  

Quality Assurance Framework

The QAF focuses on five school domains namely student attainment, teaching and learning, leadership and management, school ethos, and climate and school infrastructure. It also includes assessment of the quality of educational service and its conformity with national norms and standards; schools engagement in an internal review to identify areas of good practice and improvement; and external evaluation for schools to be provided with necessary assistance to devise improvement plans.