The Union of Private Secondary Education Employees (UPSEE) believes that ultimately, the Private Secondary Education Authority (PSEA) is equally to blame for its actions and inactions. UPSEE is calling for an overhaul of this institution so that the persistent problems in some private colleges can be addressed and educators can be given equal opportunities as those in the State.
6 urgent points but more!
The press conference on Thursday was used to develop 6 urgent points. The first one was about industrial relations, i.e., unjustified dismissals and harassment, the opacity of the work on the Mauritius Colleges, the role of PSEA, the non-payment of transport costs, the distance learning courses and the reimbursement of passage benefits, the Three Days additional Floating Holidays not taken into account and a Committee of Enquiry on the Lycée de Beau Bassin by the Ministry of Labour.
A soap opera since 2018
“We have concluded that PSEA is not meeting its responsibilities. This authority always passes the quid. There are problems that have been going on since 2018. To say that we are witnessing a soap opera,” said Arvin Bhojun, the General Secretary of the Union, referring to the multiple cases of malfunctioning, harassment at the Mauritius College Boys & Girls and the fact that these two wings have been operating without rectors since 2018 and a persistent lack of educators, especially for Form 3, SC and HSC classes. “The students have signed and sent a petition against the management and Manager Benysingh Rajmun, to the Ministry of Education, Ombudsperson, PSEA and UPSEE. The parents are ready for a demonstration. While there is a shortage of staff, the Mauritius College intends to lay off more educators by June 09. We wonder if it is PSEA that is messing with us or Mauritius College that is making it clear that they are untouchable and can afford to flout PSEA’s own orders.” On its part, the PSEA has told us that they have referred the case to the State Law Office, and we are still waiting. He referred to the tripartite meeting on 24 March between the PSEA, UPSEE and Mauritius College, which had only the opposite effect, despite the fact that the Prime Minister’s Office was aware of it. “The problems have tripled since then. We even had to intervene fiercely to ensure that Mauritius College did not thank 40 educators, who had come close to a year’s service. The college is using this tactic so as not to employ them,” says Arvind Bhojun.
Overhaul required
“The structure and functioning of the Private Secondary Education Authority (PSEA) need to be reviewed. We need an overhaul of this authority,” demands President Bhojeparsad Jhugdamby. He explains that the Union also ensures that the schools’ function properly and that “the rights of employees are respected. But we are facing a form of slavery. We turn to the Ministry of Labour. We no longer trust the Minister of Education, Leela Devi Dookun Luchoomun, as she is not interested in private schools. The Ministry of Education is also adrift, overshadowed and in peril. There needs to be a change too in that Ministry,” he said, noting that the PSEA does not even know the rights and powers it holds as an authority. “It is the UPSEE that needs to remind every time of what is stipulated in the PSEA Act of 2016. As in the case of Mismanagement at the two Mauritius Colleges, Section 5A of the PSEA ACT, 2016, under the heading Powers of Authority, empowers the PSEA to take over the management of the two wings of this College. Who are they protecting? Is there not a dire need for an overhaul and the introduction of a Private Secondary Management Trust?” asks the President. “Besides Mauritius College, there are also big problems in other colleges, such as Eden in Rose Hill, Imperial in Curepipe and the Lycée de Beau Bassin where we have asked for the setting up of a committee of enquiry. We are still wondering why the other reports of the other committees of enquiry of the other private colleges have remained in the drawers,” asks Bhojeparsad Jhugdumby.
Disparities in the rights of private and state educators
Munsoor Korimbocus also questioned the role of PSEA as a Regulatory Body. But during his speech, he dwelt on the disparity between a private educator and a state educator. He illustrated this part with the example of a couple, both educators, where the wife is a private educator and the husband is a state educator and they were both Covid 19 positive at the same time. The husband was paid in full, but the wife has not received anything to date. Munsoor Kurimboccus says the PSEA’s ‘excuses’ are incomprehensible: “They always say they didn’t get approval from the ministry or that PSEA is understaffed. We cannot accept such excuses. PSEA must resolve its staffing problems internally for the proper functioning of private schools.”
Travel Grant: 30% increase requested
The issue of the Three Days additional Floating Holiday remains a whole issue where it appears that the college administrations in Mauritius and Rodrigues are against it. On the other hand, apart from the issues raised, Arvind Bhojun requested that the Ministry should focus on and implement a 30% increase on the Travel Grants for staffs of all cadres and all public schools as “we have not received any increase, following the 4 recent increases. Giving us what we calculate to be a 30% increase will be commendable and fair,” he concluded. They are waiting for the intervention of the Ministries of Labour and Education but also of the Prime Minister in this list of grievances against Mauritius College and Lycée de Beau Bassin, but especially PSEA.
