Process of education policy formation in Africa : the case of Mauritius

This report reviews the strengths and weakness of the Plan, which has been judged a success 3 years after its creation. Chapters 1 and 2 review the economic and educational contexts, respectively, in which the Plan was developed; the growing gap between advances in economic and social conditions may have contributed to its creation. Chapter 3 points to specific factors in 1990 that led to the Plan"s development: the country"s new government and international donors, both of which were motivated to push for educational reforms, and the development of Mauritius" economy, which increased the need for a labor force skilled in the areas of science and technology. Chapter 4 reviews the objectives of the plan (access, efficiency, equity, relevance, and quality), and its structure, which, made up of 300 proposals for various subsector programs, is quite comprehensive but also unfocused. Chapter 5 reviews the planning stages that led to the development of the program, while chapters 6 and 7 review the highly participatory planning process, which included political, institutional, and donor input, as well as input from the educational system, including teachers. The Plan"s undue reliance on the views of professionals, who have their own agendas (e.g., salary concerns) during planning stages, and its budgetary impact, which has yet to be determined, are explored in Chapter 8. Chapter 9 reviews the plan"s implementation, including constraints. Concluding thoughts, e.g., concerning the Plan"s value for other countries, are presented in Chapter 10.