Considered as Star Schools for several years, the secondary schools of the Diocesan Catholic Education Service may turn out to become ‘feeder schools’ for ‘academies’.
With the academic reform and the setting up of twelve Academies (Queen Elizabeth College, Dr Maurice Curé State College, Droopnath Ramphul State College, Forest-Side State Secondary School, G.M.D Atchia State College, John Kennedy College, Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Royal College Curepipe, Royal College Port Louis, Sir Abdool Raman Osman State College, Sir Leckraz Teelock State Secondary School and Sookdeo Bissoondoyal State College), the Diocesan Service of Catholic Education decided not to be part of this change. Now after the National Certificate of Education (NCE) exams, the students were given equal opportunities to move to any of the 12 Academies.
Once the results of the Grade 9 (NCE) were known, many parents decided to withdraw their children from some of the star schools of SEDEC for the different academies. At this stage, we cannot talk of an ‘exodus of top students’; however, it will have the effect of lowering the average of these colleges in the SC or HSC results. We may find classes decreasing by 50 percent. But as time goes on, these colleges will, increasingly, must act as feeder schools for the academies.
The SEDEC schools are relying on several factors to avoid losing their best students, such as an education based on the development of the individual and human values. But this may not be enough. The academies, as a reminder, offer all streams, namely economic, scientific, technical, and artistic. Their aim is to provide students with valuable guidance in their career choices.
Only time will tell us if these big changes will not bring any other problem. In the meantime, traditionally all boys’ college as the RCPL and RCC will have to change their structures and boys will have to adapt to a former all girls’ college, such as Queen Elizabeth College.
