Mahend Gungapersad Dismisses Claims of Teacher Shortage in Mauritius for ECS

Mahend Gungapersad has dismissed the notion that there is a shortage of teachers for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in Mauritius, whether in Rodrigues or the mainland. He stated, "CSE is taught through various disciplines within the curriculum, and continuous training is ongoing." The Minister of Education assured Jacques Edouard, the fourth member for Rodrigues, that "elements of CSE are already integrated into the curricular frameworks at both primary and secondary levels, in Mauritius and Rodrigues." He reminded that Mauritius is a signatory to the East and Southern Africa Commitment, which guarantees young people's access to this education.

At the primary level, he specified that "components of sexuality education are integrated into physical education, health education, and life skills education," adding, "At the secondary level, a social and emotional well-being program covering identity, body image, gender roles, reproductive health, and relationships has been in place since 2018."

He noted that "more than 500 teachers have been trained since 2017 by SEDEC, and the same curriculum and resources are used in Rodrigues." However, the minister was unable to provide the exact number of trained teachers in Rodrigues, stating, "I do not have that exact figure... I will be able to provide it to you later."