Armoogum Parsuramen, former Minister of Education and founder of NGO Global Rainbow Foundation, has criticised the Ministry of Education’s Extended Programme, which he claims, “keeps struggling students in the same classrooms for an additional year, expecting them to pass the same exams as academically gifted students”.
Parsuramen has been the longest serving Education Minister of Mauritius (1983-1995) and has been considered as a prominent member of the MSM party, under its then leader Sir Anerood Jugnauth.
In an interview with l’Express, titled “Government members behave as if they were the owners of Mauritius”, Parsuramen hit at the current MSM government for not listening to the concerns of the population and lowering the pass mark to avoid criticism, resulting in a lower level of education overall.
He also slammed the government for not taking care of its citizens equally and politicising institutions.
“What bothers me most is that the institutions that are supposed to serve the public are now operating in a shocking way: arbitrary arrests, injustice, corruption, drugs and cover up… The worst part of it is parliament. The way the speaker is dealing with elected members of parliament is disgraceful.”
“People are aware but money politics plays a very important role. The power of money can influence voters and the MSM as we know has a lot of money. When it is not money, it is fear. People are terrified of talking. So everyone is waiting. In the meantime, the government members behave as if they were the owners of Mauritius. They do whatever they want with despicable arrogance.”
Source: L’Express
