Homeschooling in Mauritius

Hi,

have you seen this topic? Private english schools in Mauritius

I hope it helps,

Julien

Thanks Julien

Yes I did see that post.

We are going to be applying for citizenship, so I need to know the legalities around homeschooling as a citizen.  In some countries the laws are very relaxed, in others there are strict procedures to follow.  Since I can't find any information on homeschooling online, I am hoping they are very relaxed about it all! LOL

Thanks again!

You're very welcome !

Call one of these schools and they'll tell you all you need to know

Hi Purplepixie,

Schooling is mandatory till the age of 16 in Mauritius. So, I don't think that homeschooling is legal.

(Just an historical note as you refer to the Constitution: A Compulsory Education Ordinance was passed in 1857 in the island! And, more surprising, the language of instruction was to be French. The Ordinance was never applied though. http://books.google.com/books?id=gv5Ag2 … t#PPA59,M1

But, a law passed somewhere in the 1990s now renders schooling compulsory till the age of 16, and it is enforced.)

Edit: in fact, there was an Amendment to the Education Act in 2005 which rendered schooling compulsory till the age of 16.

http://books.google.com/books?id=scMyMP … &ct=result

Edit: Please find below the official version from the government portal:

Compulsory education up to the age of 16
(1) Every child who has attained such age as may be prescribed for admission to a primary school shall attend a primary school.
(2) It shall be compulsory for every child to attend school up to the end of the academic year in the course of which he attains the age of 16.
(3) Any responsible party of a child under the age of 16 who, without reasonable cause, refuses or neglects to cause the child to attend school regularly in accordance with subsection (1) or (2) shall commit an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding 10,000 rupees and to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 2 years.

http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/assemblysi … bill50.pdf

Thanks Neel....unfortunately that was NOT the news I was hoping for....

I don't think there are any laws around homeschooling yet in Mauritius. The very concept might not be known. In my opinion, these laws about compulsory education till the age of 16 have been thought through in order to give every child the opportunity to have access to education, read going to school. I don't know if anything has been written pertaining alternative schooling, which is still education. I am a young 28 yr old Mauritian mother and was looking up about homeschooling in Mauritius, because I might consider too (I don't know yet if I will manage but I want to know about the possibilities). That is why I landed on your post here. I wish you luck in your quest and if you do get the answers you are looking for, would you mind posting it on here so that others might get the information too?

Don't give up.

Cheers,
Jodlana

Oh, and I just realized this post dates back to March 2009. I am a little late

Hi Jodlana,

Indeed but thanks for your input

Armand
Expat.com Team

Do you perhaps have any info on the American International Academy of Mauritius   
.  We want to move to Mauritius but school fees in two private schools are extremely high. Children are 13, 16 & 17. Any suggestions?? I found his third private school with more accommodating rates.

Hello Roneljvr

Thanks for the share


Kenjee
Expat.com Team

Thank you

HI,

I do realize your post is from 2009, but was wondering if you ever had any success to your question?

As I am facing a similar situation of considering home schooling for my children.

Thank you

Good evening,

As a late forties Mauritian citizen working in the tourism sector may I suggest that if you find the private schools too expensive, you may give the public schools a try; some have very good/high standards. All the subjects Maths, English Language, Environmental studies, etc are taught in english (except for French Language) and you can complete the other subjects with homeschooling.
Alternately you may try some private schools patronised by the middle-class mauritians, whose children then progress to the best colleges of the island.

Hi there,
My husband is a lawyer here in Mauritius and although I would love to homeschool my children, it is not legal here.  If you cannot afford private school, your best option would be to put them in public school and supplement at home.
Sorry I don't have better news.

To everyone still asking about home schooling.. -  Would using a registered home schooling curriculum (for example Brainline) not be acceptable? --  I know that many people sailing around the world for example use 'Calvert'

There are so many ways of giving our kids an accredited education these days ..

Good luck!

Geomologist wrote:

To everyone still asking about home schooling.. -  Would using a registered home schooling curriculum (for example Brainline) not be acceptable? --  I know that many people sailing around the world for example use 'Calvert'

There are so many ways of giving our kids an accredited education these days ..

Good luck!

@Geomologist, thanks for the heading.  My understanding has always been that parents who have opted to educate their kids via homeschooling do not necessary need Government recognition by the country they are living in.  It is enough, kids to follow accredited homeschooling curriculum and to complete it.  It must be a long process.. I personally admire dedication of those parents!  No one can stop 'homeschooling' practicing parents to socialite and to form a formal entity just for support and exchange of ideas between same-minded; as well to create environment for kids to interact.  But, do not expect the Government to recognize it (not yet in Mauritius)... most societies have a legalized educational system and unfortunately 'homeschooling' is out if it.

Hi

I have just acquired my Mauritian citizenship and we are looking at leaving SA sooner rather than later! I have also been looking at all school options for my  two younger children (in 2018 they  will be in grade 9 and grade 12 respectively) - I personally know people in SA who are with the Brainline programme and they are happy with this homeschool option with great success. - especially due to the fact that my son already knows the SA IEB curriculum and I feel so bad for him that we will be moving him in his last year of school (there's enough pressure as it is) - so did you find out anything further about Brainline? The private schools in Mauritius seem VERY expensive - I am not opposed to Mauritian government schools but don't want to make a bad decision. Any advice - please - would be appreciated.

Thanks

Paula

I'm currently schooling my daughter using the proper Cambridge curriculum via Wolseyhall Oxford. They offer more A level options than the local private schools and learning is relaxed and self paced. Cost is a fraction of private schools for the same curriculum. Google their website for more info. It's a challenge but also very rewarding.

So what do people do if there is no place in suitable schools (full) and home schooling is illegal (is this the case even if the child has SEN?).  I would hope to get Mauritius citizenship in due course so would homeschooling count against me if we have to go down that route due to lack of alternative?

Hello.... thank you for the info on Wolsely. Just wondering.. where does your daughter sit her exams? Thank you

Don't worry home schooling is a very good thing as you can choose what your kids should study . but it is mandatory in mauritius for children of a certain to go to a recognise school . you will also have a very wide choice of schools for your children here and I am sure you will find one

Homeschooling is not legal here... it is compulsory to send kids to school upto form 5, or 16 years old

lovenah wrote:

Homeschooling is not legal here... it is compulsory to send kids to school upto form 5, or 16 years old

Not for non-citizens!

Homeschooling is perfectly legal both for citizens and non citizens. One has the obligation to provide education to their kids but none has the obligation to send their kids to school.  Education is not equal to school.

Under regulation 37, Subsections (1) and (2) of the Education Act of 1993, all children must attend primary school, failing which the responsible party is liable to a fine and imprisonment. Admission to a government or aided primary school is granted to pupils at the age of 5 until they are less than 13 years old.



Compulsory education up to age of 16
(1) Every child who has attained such age as may be prescribed for admission to a primary school shall attend a primary school.
(2) It shall be compulsory for every child to attend school up to the end of the academic year in the course of which he attains the age of 16.
(3) Any responsible party of a child under the age of 16 who, without reasonable cause, refuses or neglects to cause the child to attend school regularly in accordance with subsection (1) or (2) shall commit an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding 10,000 rupees and to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years.

I discussed that upon my arrival here and indeed section 2 is misleading BUT, no offence is made if a parent provide a recognised education programme to their children.

My neighbour (100% mauritian) son was bullied at school when he was younger, he is homeschooled since three years now, got his teacher at home, follows the CNED programme and is a handsome, well educated little boy

It depends on who you are, who do you know and what are your vitamin C ( aka who are your contacts or friends in the government ?) to be left alone!

Hi,

I'm a Mauritian and I was hoping to homeschool my daughter who is 14 as she is facing a lot of peer pressure and for the sake of her protection I wanted to opt for this option. However, when I contacted the authorities in regards to that, i got the same reply from everyone. Homeschooling is not available for Mauritians and the law in Mauritius is such that children must attend a school until the age of 16.

I saw your post about how a Mauritian succeeded in homeschooling his child. Do you maybe have more information how he was able to do that? I will really appreciate your reply.

Nelly

Thinking out loud:  the law says it is compulsory to attend school until 16 - what about an online school such as interhigh, does this count?  It is a school with terms and curriculums and lessons, so the only difference is no physical building.  Maybe an option for those struggling to find schooling suitable for their child?

I was just thinking the same thing.

My children are currently attending a school in South Africa. We are spending the equivalent to the school fees on extra lessons and intervention materials just to help them keep up. This is mainly because they both have HDHD and some gaps because of the system itself.

We are planning to move to Mauritius for two years at the end of this year or next but we have not decided if we will stay long term. Therefore attending an international school will be rather counterintuitive until we decide to actually stay permanently. Switched-On School House is a great recognized home school curriculum, I plan on registering with them and supplementing with the basic South African curriculum outline (to manage any transition back if needed) and reading eggs until high-school.

Surely whether homeschooling is legal or illegal becomes a moot point once kids hit 16 and it is no longer compulsory for them to attend school. Surely, then, homeschooling must be allowed simply by the virtue that no schooling is then mandatory?

Many online schools are recognized. WolseyHall Oxford has been a distance learning school for more than 100 years and has been recognized by Cambridge as a school. In 2020 our kids can attend school at home without breaking any laws. I have also never heard of anyone being harassed or even questioned for homeschooling here. The law is there to stop child slavery and abuse. If you are legitimately educating your kids you will have portfolios and workbooks to show.

Hi ! I know i’m a bit late on your post but i woukd life to know if you  have been successful in doing homeschooling in mauritius?
Im a mauritian but ti be sincere i don’t agree withthe educational system that we have here.

Hi Nelly!
I know im a bit late on your post but i would like to know if you have gone forward with homeschooling your daughter?
I want to pursue this venture but I’m unsure about the law pertaining homeschooling

Hi,
I am a homeschooling tutor for grades starting from Grade 6 till Grade 13 giving their A levels. The law talks about mandatory schooling till age 16 to prevent child labour and abuse. Homeschooling does not mean, taking the child out from education, it is just another form of education and given the current situation, this all the more makes sense. Some of my students parents registered the students with Cambridge for homeschooling so that the marking scheme makes it legal and globally accepted. For any further info, pls do feel free to drop me an email at ***

Good Afternoon
Thank you for the information
I currently have 2 children15 and 13 homeschooling in South Africa doing Cambridge curriculum.
Are there exam centers in Mauritius for them to take exams?
Can you please give more information with regards to your tutoring services

mayafreespirit wrote:

Good Afternoon
Thank you for the information
I currently have 2 children15 and 13 homeschooling in South Africa doing Cambridge curriculum.
Are there exam centers in Mauritius for them to take exams?
Can you please give more information with regards to your tutoring services

There's the British Council in Port Louis that you can use.

Which platform are you using to do the Cambridge Curriculum?

Thanks for this information, it is really useful.

I am very glad to have found the answer to this question. I need this information.