Only 71 Extended Program students passed National Certificate of Education exams. According to the Leader of the Opposition, it is a “historic failure”. Leela Dookun-Luchoomun, Minister of Education, admitted that “the results do not reflect the expectations” of the GM. The Extended Program was at the heart of the PNQ this morning. « I am the first one to tell you that the results are not good », Minister Dookun acknowledged this, but assured that corrective measures would be taken.
In her opening response, the education minister recalled that 12,273 students have been admitted into the Extended Programme since 2018. Currently, there are approximately 11,172. She indicated that 2600 students are currently in grade 7, 2 720 in grade 8, 2 877 in grade 9 and 2 015 in grade 9+.
Xavier-Luc Duval insisted on the fact that only 71 Extended Program students passed the NCE exams. This represents only 2%, he said. Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun argued that the official rate is 2.6%. She also said that the pandemic must be taken into account. As a result, the students in question have not been able to receive the necessary support.
For Xavier-Luc Duval, this is a historic failure. He referred to a damning World Bank report on the education system. He said that the minister did not consider the remarks of World Bank experts. The Minister of Education insisted that everything has been done to help the Extended Program students. However, she conceded that the results do not reflect the government’s expectations.
The session was marked by a clash between Xavier-Luc Duval and the Minister Stephan Toussaint. After which, the Speaker abruptly ended the PNQ.
