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Article publié le Mardi 6 février
2007. |
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STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Jacques de
NAVACELLE
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Director of the
Joint Economic Council (JEC)
The minister
of Education has appealed to the private sector to help
employees pay their children’s exam fees. Had you had any
consultations with minister Gokhool before he made his public
request?
We had some informal discussions with
officers of the ministry who asked us what we could do. But we
have not had any official request directly and we have not
made much progress on the issue so far.
What
was your reaction when you were informed of their request?
When the government asks for some help from the
private sector, we can only agree. It is true that private
companies already do a lot for the country but we will see to
what extent we can help.
Isn’t it a way for the
government to shift its responsibility on to the shoulders of
the private sector?
I do not think this is the
real issue. Education was declared free by Sir Seewoosagur
Ramgoolam and that was an audacious and important decision at
the time but free education has ended up being very costly
today. As there are many things lacking in our national
education system, many pupils do have to go for private
tuition, which is really expensive. Likewise, transport,
clothes and books have started to cost a lot and education has
gradually stopped being free. As the state does not have a lot
of financial means, one of the best solutions may indeed be to
turn towards the private sector. If the state can’t afford to
pay, “someone else” will have to do it. And the private sector
is ready to do it but we must see which form these grants may
take and if companies have the means to help. There is a
perception that the private sector has a lot of money but this
is not true for all companies.
Have you already
considered the criteria under which grants could be
allocated?
There are institutions – mainly banks –
that are in a position to grant loans but they will not do so
unless they have the guarantee that the person will be able to
reimburse his/her debts afterwards. For those who can’t afford
reimbursement, there may be no other alternative than the
private companies. For instance, a company that pays an
employee every month has the possibility of deducting a fixed
amount every month from their salaries. But this is no
solution for those already living from hand to mouth. So, the
private sector has accepted to see how they might help those
people – otherwise than through traditional channels.
Will you meet the ministry soon to discuss the
issue?
We will first have internal discussions at
the level of the JEC and with the private sector in general to
gather ideas and try to bring out a proposal. It is only then
that we will go and discuss with the ministry.
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