Education in Mauritius
- Message
- Background
- Facts
Joined Commonwealth: 1968 
Population: 1,288,000 (2009)
GDP p.c. growth: 3.5% p.a. 1990-2009
UN HDI 2010: world ranking 72
Net primary enrolment: 94% (2009)
Gross tertiary enrolment: 23.3% (2008)
Adult literacy: 87.9% (2009)
Public spending on education was 3.2% of GDP in 2009. There are seven years of compulsory education starting at age five. Primary net enrolment ratio is 94%, with a female-male ratio of 1.00:1 (2009). Gross enrolment ratio for all levels of education combined is 75.8% (2008). The pupil-teacher ratio for primary is 22:1 and for secondary about 16:1 (2009). Some 96% of pupils complete primary school (2008). The school year starts in January.
Education is free at the primary and secondary levels, partly subsidised at the pre-primary level and heavily subsidised at the tertiary level.
About 23% of the relevant age group is enrolled in tertiary education (2008). Tertiary education centres on the University of Mauritius. Other institutions include University of Technology (operational from September 2001), Mauritius Institute of Education (training teachers), Mahatma Gandhi Institute (courses in Asian culture) and the Mauritius College of the Air (distance education for adults and primary and secondary students). The Academy of Medicine provides training for doctors, nurses and hospital administrators. The female-male ratio for gross enrolment in tertiary education is 0.63:1 (2008). Literacy among people aged 15-24 is 97% (2009).
In January 2009, the Ministry of Education’s project entitled From Individual to Community: Quality Teaching in Mauritius was selected as a finalist in the 2009 Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards. The project encouraged a culture of collaboration among teachers and students of different schools, with the participation of parents, and it resulted in major improvements in student performance, motivation and social interaction.
In 2012 Mauritius will host the 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (18CCEM). Commonwealth education ministers meet every three years to discuss issues of mutual concern and interest.
Joined Commonwealth: 1968
Population: 1,288,000 (2009)
GDP p.c. growth: 3.5% p.a. 1990-2009
UN HDI 2010: world ranking 72
Net primary enrolment: 94% (2009)
Gross tertiary enrolment: 23.3% (2008)
Adult literacy: 87.9% (2009)
