1 PART
1: An Overview of the Status of the
School IT Project (SITP)
The first part of this report presents the current status of the SITP by assessing the two fundamental aspects of education:
§ the pupil at the heart of the e-learning experience
§ the teacher as the agent of the e-teaching process
1.1 The
Infrastructural Framework and its Implications on Pupils
1.1.a Resources
Following the ‘Contingency Plan’, most ICT teachers today have been allocated an improvised ‘IT corner’ with a minimum of one computer. The teaching/learning process takes place in an environment whereby the lack of resources ensures that the basic objective of equipping each pupil with a ‘computer driving license’ remains a theoretical ideal.
According to the actual practical session, the pupil’s exposure time to the computer is limited to a couple of minutes within a restricted ‘corner’ devoid of digital teaching aids and educational software. For a classroom composed of forty pupils, this ‘corner’ becomes inadequate for the development and progression of the ICT capability of each pupil in relation to the knowledge, skills and understanding required to manipulate ICT tools and content.
1.1.b Connectivity
As to the initial aim of connecting each classroom to the information superhighway, this has remained an unfulfilled promise, and the ICT teacher can only introduce the pupil to the ‘idea’ of an intangible network of information. It has been officially stated that the ‘IT coach of the National Computer Board is visiting primary schools regularly for demonstration’ (Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, Official Website). However, these coaches are not wired to the internet, and consequently, the ICT Teacher is unable to devise a lesson plan on this subject. As in the previous case, the lack of practical classes geared towards developing the skills required by the pupil to make optimal use of the internet ensures that the latter is deprived of the first steps towards integrating a knowledge economy.
1.1.c Implications on the Pupils
It has been observed that the passion and curiosity normally associated with the learning of an interactive subject like ICT have remained almost inexistent. On the contrary, the lack of proper practical classes influences the pupils in an ‘unhelpful’ way by reducing interest and increasing frustration. On this issue, it has been noted that the socio-cultural backgrounds of the majority of the pupils – especially in rural areas – imply that the latter do not have access to computers outside the school. As a result, neither the academic nor the social contexts of the pupils are contributing to their chances of acquiring their respective ‘computer driving licenses’, thus widening the digital divide.
1.2
Mapping the Status of the ICT Teacher and
the E-teaching Process
1.2.a Nature of the Employment Contract
It is universally acknowledged that a cluster of trainee ICT teachers has been recruited to implement the first phase of ‘ICT as a subject in the school curriculum’. The latter have been employed on a contractual basis spanning a period of four years, beginning in 2002 and ending in 2006. Following this contract, the original trainee- and now, experienced ICT teacher - is bound to the government against a ssum of Rs 125, 000, as he has ascertained his commitment to attain the targets set by the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research (MOESR).
However, it can also be observed that this contract features a
one-way process, denying the ICT teacher the right to a permanent status or the
recognition of his years of service. From this perspective, the original
incentive designed to lure the trainees,
the fully equipped and wired computer laboratory with the pedagogical
support of the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE), can be perceived as an
ideal ‘bait’ and a non-binding agreement on behalf of the above-mentioned
Ministry. The reduction of the funds initially allocated to this project and
the shrinking interest of the MOESR in equipping each school with a lab – from
RS. 200 M for 354 labs catered for in the Budget 2001-2002 to Rs 40 M for 50 labs catered for in the Budget 2005-2006 –
symbolises the latter’s lack of commitment towards the SITP. This unfulfilled
promise has been negatively impacting upon the various realms of the teaching
process and the pupil’s potential to develop ICT capability.
1.2.b Repercussions on ICT Teachers, the Principal
Agent of ICT Introduction
It has to be conceded that the initial enthusiasm driving the recruits is definitively converging towards a dead end. Whilst on one hand, they have been denied of the very prerequisites of teaching – resources -, the training they have followed to apply the last minute ‘contingency plan’ can be summed up as a ‘one-day seminar at the MIE’. Moreover, the once ‘contingency plan’ has been stretched over the whole contractual period, and one year before the end of the contract, the teachers have realised that there has been an exploitation of their faith by the educational authorities. The natural psychological impact has resided in disinterest and lack of motivation.
As for the ‘human’ implications of the circumstances detailed in the paragraphs 1.2.a and 1.2.b, these are listed below:
§
Agony, frustration and
insecurity
Given the uncertain destination of their teaching contract, teachers have to content themselves with the above feelings, and are unable to plan for their own future in terms of their financial or professional well-being. As for their four years of work experience, they may be counted as ‘wasted years’ devoid of career prospects
The obsolete salary, situated at the bottom of the wages hierarchy set up for primary school teachers, offered to ICT teachers has led to the above emotional status.
Moreover, the status of the subject and of the ‘ICT teacher’ themselves are also precarious, and situated at the bottom end of the internal school hierarchy – as detailed in the following paragraph. The ICT teacher finds himself imprisoned at negative crossroads, destructive towards his own development, the inclusion of ICT within the school curriculum and towards the production of an ‘efficient workforce for sustaining growth in a knowledge based economy’ (MOESR Official Website).
1.2.c Status of the Subject and the
ICT Teacher
ICT as a subject on the school curriculum remains an ideological principle. There are presently no textbooks or teachers’ guides approved by the MOESR and dedicated to the teaching/learning of ICT. Moreover, the subject is not examinable at the determining level of Standard VI. Primary school inspectors visiting the classroom do not possess the skills required to assess the ICT subject teaching process, or the competency of the ICT teacher. No network of resources, advice or support has been made available to facilitate the teaching of this relatively new subject.
With regards to the teacher, his employment conditions- including his salary and the absence of prospects for his future development- have positioned him on one of the lowest ranks of the school hierarchy. It has been noticed that in various schools, the ICT teacher has been in uncomfortable situations vis-à-vis his colleagues, and that he has been constrained to accomplish the tasks normally undertaken by the school clerk. This painful day-to-day environment has led to the establishment of an ICT Teachers’ Network, whose specifications are elaborated below.
1.3 The ICTTN and the Need to Re-connect
with the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research (MOESR)
Further to the problems faced by the ICT teachers, as described
above, the latter have regrouped into an association, ICTTN, which is a
registered and autonomous body providing a forum for discussing and debating
issues pertaining to the basic rights and specific
needs of ICT teachers. Our website, www.icttn.cjb.net, as well as our
regular correspondences with our members, equip us with the
best medium for surveying the concerns of the latter.
In this line of thought, the ICTTN has already addressed various problems by corresponding with the ICT teacher or the head teacher of the school where lay the epicentre of the matter. By initiating this memorandum, the ICTTN wishes to further this step by launching negotiations with the MOESR to mend the broken communication network between the two bodies and work towards a constructive plan for the welfare of the pupil, the ICT teacher and the subject implementation. In the publication, ‘Curriculum Renewal in the Primary Sector’, dated the 28th of March 2001, the MOESR opens the way for Unions and Associations to propose solutions for the way forward, and the ICTTN has seized the opportunity to recommend a strategy for fulfilling the potential of ICT as a subject in the school curriculum.