Ministry Faces Urgent Meeting Over MEDCO Staffing Roles Amid Educator Surplus

Education union leaders have demanded an urgent meeting with the Ministry of Education following claims that civil service teachers are being sidelined in favour of staff from closed private schools. The State Secondary School Teachers Union (SSSTU) has raised the alarm over a growing “redundancy” crisis within state colleges.

The tension follows the closure of three state schools and one private institution earlier this year, compounded by the shutdown of five private colleges in January 2024.

Under a long-standing humanitarian agreement dating back to the 1980s, staff from these defunct private institutions are managed by the Mauritius Educational Company Ltd (MEDCO) and redeployed into the state sector.

However, the SSSTU argues that those recruited through the Public Service Commission (PSC)—a process they describe as “competitive and transparent”—are now being unfairly penalised in class allocations.

“Humanitarianism is not Promotion”

In a formal letter to the Ministry, the union stressed that while they empathise with displaced staff, the integration of MEDCO educators must not come at the expense of established civil servants.

“The redeployment of teachers through MEDCO is based on humanitarian grounds; it is in no way a promotion,” the union stated.

They highlighted that many PSC educators had previously resigned from private sector roles, sacrificing years of seniority to “start from scratch” in the public service.

Disputed Allocations

The union cited several instances of what they deem unfair treatment:

• Vacoas/Travel and Tourism: A PSC educator was split between two schools (Bambous SSS and Régis Chaperon SSS) on a part-time basis, while a MEDCO educator was granted a full-time post at Phoenix SSS for the same subject.
• Piton SSS: A Senior PSC Educator has been relegated to part-time duties in Home Economics, while both a MEDCO teacher and a newer PSC recruit have been assigned full-time roles.

Ministry Guidelines Rejected

A circular issued on 16 January by the Senior Chief Executive acknowledged the surplus, advising Rectors to use extra staff for substitutions and to prioritise seniority when allocating tasks.

For MEDCO staff, seniority is calculated from the date they joined the entity, with a provision that they should only handle substitutions if they are under the age of 58.

The SSSTU has dismissed these measures as insufficient, maintaining that PSC educators should hold primary legitimacy as they were specifically recruited for state colleges.

The union is now seeking immediate clarification from the Ministry to resolve the “headache” of staff distribution.

Source: Le Mauricien