Mauritius

The growing role of women in the workforce prompted the establishment of public preschools in 1984. Of the 1,087 preprimary schools in operation, 79 percent are private; 16 percent are overseen by Parent Teacher Associations; and 5 percent are run by municipal and village councils. In contrast, the government controls 225 of the 291 primary schools in operation. The majority (51) of the remaining primary schools are run by the Roman Catholic Education Authority (RCEA). Along with mathematics, French, English, religion, and environmental studies, primary curriculum offerings have included seven Asian languages since 1986. Primary school enrollment reached 135,237 in 2000. The student-teacher ratio is 36:1.