The purpose of the APPRENDRE programme is to improve education systems in primary and secondary schools in 26 French-speaking emerging and developing countries, including the Republic of Mauritius. The programme has been introduced in 2018 by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), an association of higher education and research institutions and an operator in the Francophone higher education and research domain, with financial support from the Agence française de développement (AFD), up to €20 million, over the period from June 2018 to June 2024.
The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, received, on Monday afternoon, at the MITD House in Phoenix, Mr Jérôme Bertheau, co-coordinator of the APPRENDRE programme.
The co-coordinator of the APPRENDRE programme is presently in Mauritius to understand the expectations of the government and the needs of education stakeholders as well as to develop a plan of activities for the implementation of the programme.
In a statement, Mr Jérôme Bertheau, indicated that discussions with the Vice-Prime Minister focused, among others, on a tentative implementation schedule to undertake the numerous activities. The programme is expected to kick off in January 2023 and would be carried out over 18 months.
The co-coordinator spoke, too, of the main objectives of the APPRENDRE programme. These are namely to support the Ministry of Education in participating countries in strengthening the capacities of the national directorates in both primary and secondary education through several means of intervention and co-constructing education tools with the Ministry together with experts based on the needs defined by the authorities.
According to Mr Bertheau, this first visit to Mauritius would be followed by a second technical mission with the input of the scientific council of the APPRENDRE programme to refine the interventions prior to the implementation phase.
During his mission in Mauritius, Mr Jérôme Bertheau will also meet with heads of institutions responsible for the initial and continuing training of teaching staff, as well as the technical and financial partners involved in the education sector such as representatives of the World Bank, European Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to create synergy and avoid duplication of effort.
