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in order to demonstrate its seriousness of intent had pledged to contribute
one third of the costs from its own exchequer (Mauritius Master Plan
for Education, 1991).
The plan and projects should be relevant to the national economic and
social needs and rally public opinion. There should be an indication that
social partners and stakeholders are willing to participate in the implementation
process. As Minister of Education, I had ensured that a national
consensus was built by involving all the stakeholders in the discussions:
heads of organisations, members of the public, the opposition parties
and media. This is a slow and complex process but necessary to achieve
the credibility that donor agencies seek to support.
The implementing agencies should demonstrate that the necessary conditions
for effective implementation and efficient use of resources actually
exist. The Master Plan was a success because in addition to its vision,
it had a well-articulated proposal for implementation ¾ not only were
the implementation agencies identified but also the timeframes within
which the activities would be completed. The Master Plan Coordinating
Unit (MPCU), with a full-time manager, coordinated the monitoring and
evaluation of the project. There was a synergy between the Ministries of
Education, Finance and Economic Planning so that all available resources
could be mobilised for the efficient and effective implementation of the
Master Plan.
According to a World Bank Appraisal Report in 1995:
The first lesson from past projects is that a clear vision and a policy framework
for institutional changes and investments should be prerequisites for
project design. Secondly project design should be sufficiently flexible to
accommodate the needs of a rapidly changing economic and social environment.
Finally past experience also shows that a project should not support
experimental and innovative activities for which little commitment exists
on the part of parents, who are key decision makers.
It further points out the need to obtain “consensus on the policy action at
the outset, providing flexible financing mechanisms, and including periodic
and mid-term reviews”. It also underlines the need for improvement of
education’s linkages with the labour market through employer involvement.
For the first time, several international organizations and donor countries
had associated with the Government in the preparation of the plan and
offered assistance of this magnitude without any restrictive preconditions.
In fact, in the agreed minutes of negotiations with the World Bank on the
Mauritius Education Sector Development Project 1993, it was stated that:
“There are no conditions of effectiveness, the loan is expected to become
effective soon after the signature of the Loan Agreement (Mauritius Education
Sector Development Project, 1993).”