Speech of Dr the Hon. Vasant K. Bunwaree
Minister of Education and Human Resources
at the meeting with members of the Coordinating
Committee Meeting of the World Council for Total Quality
and Excellence in Education
MITD Lecture Theatre, MITD House, Phoenix
Thursday 24 May 2012, 16h00
Mr Madhukar Narrain, Chairman Mauritian Society for Quality Control
Circles
Dr. Jagdish Gandhi, Founder Manager, City Montessori School, Lucknow,
India
Distinguished visitors from abroad
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
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First of all, let me extend my warmest welcome to all the foreign delegates
attending the 15th International Convention on Students Quality Control
Circles (ICSQCC) and to the distinguished members of the Coordinating
Committee of the World Council for Total Quality and Excellence in
Education (WCTQEE).
I gladly recall that I was here in this very same building, on the 15th
November, last year, to meet the 161 Mauritian delegates who were to
attend the 14th International Convention on Students Quality Control
Circles, which was held in Lucknow, India.
I gather that last year’s Convention was a total success, with the achieved
aim of adopting Quality Control Circles (QCC) as an integral part of
academics.
Students were taught, I was made to understand, how to
develop the means to find solutions to their own problems; develop their
analytical potential; understand how to work in a team and to develop
team-spirit; how to better harness their creative powers and to be winners
in today’s fast moving world.
As you all know, Mauritius is presently hosting this year’s Convention. The
Convener for this Convention is my good friend, Mr. Madhukar Narrain, the
Chairman of the Mauritian Society for Quality Control Circles and also one
of the Directors of the World Council for Total Quality and Excellence in
Education. He is a very hard-working and dedicated person, well-known
for his good work in the field of Education.
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I seize this opportunity to congratulate him and his Organising Committee
for the smooth running of the Convention and the excellent work being
carried out so far.
This year’s theme for the Convention is: Quality Education ‘An Initiative
to Human Excellence and Global Prosperity’. As minister responsible
for Education and Human Resources, I fully agree with this statement.
It
makes us stop and reflect on the meaning of education and on the ways
and means to achieve quality education. We must think global, or else, we
will not survive in today’s highly competitive world, where the great
advances in the communication field have dropped all the physical, social,
economic and political barriers, among others.
That is why there is the need and the urgency to lay emphasis on human
resource development, with particular interest laid on education. Education
should no longer concentrate upon the academic success only but also on
the holistic development of the learner, highlighting his/her innate abilities
and developing others through co and extracurricular activities.
I understand that the delegates to this year’s Convention have been
holding interactive sessions in the different streams and competitions they
have been engaged up to now, and, that our friends from foreign countries,
as well as our Mauritian delegates, have had the opportune time to
participate in the debates, seminars, case studies and cultural programs
that have been prepared for them.
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I hope that they have had the opportunity to visit our “great little country”,
as late Shrimati Indira Gandhi used to describe Mauritius, and that they will
have learnt more about our Mauritian way of life.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
You are no doubt aware that Total Quality Management (TQM) is one of
the key-concerns in today’s educational system. Satisfaction is one of the
factors that govern TQM. If a person is satisfied with the quality of services
offered, then no problems are encountered. We should strive to continue
improving ourselves and to always give our very best in whatever task we
are carrying out.
Remember that the student is central to the application and organization of
TQM in education. As Education minister, I have made it my duty to enlist
the cooperation of every stakeholder of the education sector, be it the
teacher, the manager, the principal, the managing committee of the school,
the non-academic staff to the parents, employers, the community and
society at large. We should work hard to apply the principles of TQM in
education so as to shift the focus from the student’s examinations results to
the quality of the teaching system used.
I whole-heartedly adhere to the principle of laying emphasis on TQM.
Continuous improvement efforts need to be directed to curriculum and
delivery services.
Rising global demands, coupled with the new
development in technologies, are putting additional pressure on industry.
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In turn, the latter is asking for continuous upgrading of academic standards.
This leads to an increase in the competition between public and private
academic institutions, with often, government putting its weight on research
and development activities. Thus, quality teaching is enhanced as most
productive teachers are honoured.
That is why the concept of quality circles is very important in the education
sector. It is very important for small groups of persons in the educational
field to meet regularly, to discuss problems, to seek solutions and to
cooperate with management for the implementation of these solutions.
Leadership and quality culture should be our driving force.
Quality education deals with the human being. The process of education
is, as we say, from the “womb to the tomb”. Human beings continue to
evolve, to learn, in short “to be”. Hence, quality of education is in parallel
with excellence in education.
My dear learned colleagues, dear friends,
In the education sector, we all know that a good quality education leads to
a bright and prospective future. Here in Mauritius, we have placed the
importance of educating our people, especially the young generation, high
on our priority list. This present government means business and I have
engaged my ministry on a wide range of educational reforms and projects
that are changing the perspectives of the education sector.
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We are trying to give our children quality of service through improved
teaching methodologies; new curricula; a more holistic approach to the
learning process, through the use of co and extracurricular activities; the
use of modern technology to enhance teaching and knowledge acquisition
and also a redefinition of the role of the teacher, who I personally consider
to be central in the education process.
We should develop and nurture a quality-conscious culture among our
young people and also among all the stakeholders of the education sector.
A true spirit of entrepreneurship should also be inculcated in our youth, so
as they would be able to stand on their own feet and face up to the evergrowing challenges of our modern world.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I wish you all to have fruitful and successful deliberations during this
present Convention and I hope that the delegates would have been able to
grasp all the information that have been shared in the course of the
numerous workshops. I hope that you will also be able to learn a bit more
about our beautiful country and its even more wonderful people. I know
that our youth will certainly benefit from all your learned expertise and use
that acquired experience to enhance their educational aims and visions.
I thank you all for your attention.
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