Africa-Press – Mauritius. The leaders of pre-primary schools are not backing down. Despite the establishment of an interministerial committee and exchanges with authorities, they are maintaining their protest, supported by the Confederation of Workers of the Public and Private Sectors (CTSP). The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 8 at 10 a.m., at the Jardin de la Compagnie in Port-Louis.
“We are maintaining our protest because we see no solution on the horizon,” says Jane Ragoo, Secretary General of the CTSP. Despite the formation of an interministerial committee to study the issue, nothing concrete has been done, she laments. “We wrote to the Prime Minister on this matter and received a reply that the file has been referred to the Ministry of Finance. We had a meeting with Mr. Eric Ng, who indicated that the file is under study,” the unionist explains.
She states that all this follows the announcement that the Free Pre-Primary Education Scheme will be reviewed starting January 2026. Under the new formula, each school will receive Rs 2,750 per child. This amount is considered derisory by the leaders because it cannot cover staff salaries and operational costs, especially if a school has fewer than ten students. The CTSP emphasizes that many parents cannot afford to contribute more. However, Jane Ragoo assures that there are solutions and advocates for constructive dialogue.
At the Ministry of Education, it is mentioned that Minister Mahend Gungapersad met last Monday with the Deputy Prime Minister at a meeting where different scenarios were discussed. He also chaired an interministerial meeting on Tuesday after the payment issue was raised at the Council of Ministers on Friday, October 17. The end of full payment of tuition fees in its current form had been announced, notably due to abuses observed in some school managers.
Moreover, technicians are currently finalizing a report that they will soon submit to the ministry. The Minister of Education is expected to present a comprehensive file to the Cabinet in the coming days with proposed solutions for the early childhood sector.
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