Unemployment has increased in recent years and this has been "accompanied by inflation that has contributed to a loss of purchasing power, especially affecting women." (United Nations, 2000) There is a failure to meet the needs of very low income housing and creating further tensions in Mauritius are challenges related to employment equality of access and disparity in education which is stated to be due to the conflict arising among the multi-ethnic society in Mauritius and its experience with such inequality in opportunities for employment and educational disparity. Major constraints are stated to exist in regards to gender equality in the labor market with a glass ceiling stated to be firmly in place "at higher levels of the occupational structure and at lower levels, women are still concentrated in the low wage and low skill sectors." (United Nations, 2000)

VI. Public Health Overview

Universal access to primary health care has been accomplished in Mauritius. The island's small size is characterized by a transport network that is comprehensive in nature and services have been decentralized in order to facilitate transportation. Problem areas include the Infant Mortality Rates (IMR)fell drastically from 32.3 per thousand in 1980 to 18 per thousand in 1994 however, the IMR is stated to have "remained stagnant at 19.4 per thousand since 1995" as well as has the incidence of low birth weight babies remained high in Mauritius. Health services are feeling the pressure and facing challenges due to a population that is aging rapidly and the change of life styles as women are entering the workforce at a high rate. Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have also been noted to rise dramatically and specifically those of:

(1) cardiovascular diseases;

(2) diabetes;

(3) hypertension; and (4) cancer. (United Nations, 2000)

Rapid industrialization is stated to be to blame for the NCDs emerging which has resulted in "unhealthy lifestyles and eating habits." (United Nations, 2000) The population growth rate has been successfully reduced by Mauritius and it is reported that it dropped "…from 3.12% per annum during the period 1952 to 1962 to 1.97% for the period 1962 to 1972 and to 0.79% from 1983 to 1990. This dramatic adjustment in fertility was mainly the result of postponement of age of marriage and the continuous increase in contraceptive prevalence rate. However, there have recently been some worrying signs of a shift from more reliable to less reliable contraceptive methods as well as a rise in abortion rates. It is estimated that there could be as many cases of abortions as there are live births over the period of one year." (United Nations, 2000)

In regards to HIV / AIDS it is reported that it has not yet reached the proportion of an epidemic in Mauritius however among existing problems is that of "commercial sex activities, especially among the youngsters…" and as well noted as a concern is the need of adolescent reproductive health education "given the virtual absence of sex and life skills education in schools." (United Nations, 2000) Another serious problem which is developing in Mauritius is that of poverty and social deprivation related drug abuse affecting all social classes and affecting all regions in Mauritius. Reported is a "…0.83 annual prevalence of opiates abuse as a percentage of the population aged 15 and above. The high rate of injecting drug use is particularly worrisome, especially in the light of the HIV / AIDS problem. Mauritius has not yet ratified the 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances which is one of the three main Conventions on Drug Control." (United Nations, 2000)

In the area of children's rights, there is reported to have been significant progress made however there are still issues that must be addressed and these are stated to include: (1) low performance; and (2) high drop out rates in schools in deprived regions. (United Nations, 2000) Not only is child abuse stated to be "on the rise…" with estimations that 15,000 children in Mauritius might very well need protection but as well adolescents are being exploited sexually by the commercial sex market and authorities have yet to address this problem. Furthermore, there is stated to likely be a "gross underestimation of the actual number of disabled children and a significant number of them are still excluded from schools. The most important barrier to inclusive education is the general...

The severe drought which occurred last year, with dramatic economic repercussions, brought home rather brutally the critical importance of water resource management. There is an urgent need to maximize storage of water and raise awareness of the economic value of water in the population at large." (United Nations, 2000)
VII. Organization of the Remainder of the Study

The chapter following this present chapter in this study, Chapter 2 will be a review of literature in the area of study at focus in this research and specifically the Republic of Mauritius and the need for redefining health and safety in educational institutions in Mauritius. Chapter 3 will contain this study's 'Research Methodology' and Chapter 4 will be comprised by the study's results and discussion. Finally, Chapter 5 in this study will state conclusions of the study and make recommendations for any future research that might be needed in this area of study.

REDEFINING HEALTH & SAFETY IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

I. Healthy Eating & Food Safety

The work of Gokhool (2008) relates that the joint Pre-school Trust Food, University of Mauritius project on Healthy Eating and Food Safety" is representative of the commitment of the government to make the provision of a 'World Class Quality Education" to all the children of the Republic of Mauritius…" (2008) Gokhool relates that the National Children's Policy (2003) and Plan of Action (2004-2015) has as its focus:

(1) the creation of a Republic fit for children;

(2) achievement of the Millennium Goals with the young child figuring as an important element in reaching the goals;

(3) the promotion of inclusion and integration as approaches based on intersector collaboration. (Gokhool, 2008)

Gokhool states that the ECCEA Framework was devised by technical committees for the purposes of:

(1) developing and implementing pedagogical program;

(2) developing safety and security norms;

(3) ensuring a smooth transition from home to school through Parents' empowerment programs;

(4) Developing and Bridging the gap initiative which provides the smooth passage of children from home, pre-school to primary sector. (Gokhool, 2008)

The Prime Ministers' Office in the Republic of Mauritius reports in its "Cabinet Decisions -- 23 January 2009" that the Cabinet has "taken note that the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) of the United Kingdom, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources, would hold its second G100 Conference on the theme "Redesigning Learning for a Globalised Economy" in Mauritius in July 2009. G100 is the title of the SSAT iNet initiative that brings together a group of 100 outstanding school leaders from around the world to discuss, inter alia, issues relating to transformations in their respective education systems and the development of an agenda for future schooling." (nd)

The Prime Minister's article relates that Mauritius is the "first nation in the world to affiliate all its schools with iNet. Hosting the second G100 Conference, would provide a platform for:

(1) Mauritius to showcase its schools to iNet members from a range of countries;

(2) Mauritian schools to gain firm links and partnerships with other iNet schools;

(3) Mauritian educators and heads of school to engage in cutting edge educational debate and discussions and to participate in an international think tank on educational development and research at a global level; and (4) Mauritius to obtain widespread publicity in world-class educational journals and publications. (nd)

It is reported that in a Cabinet Decision dated February 15th, 2008 as follows: "With a view to sensitizing youths to assume responsibility for their personal health care and to be the role model of a healthy lifestyle, Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Education & Human Resources proposes to revive school health clubs and to set up a Regional Health and Education Council (RHEC) in each educational zone to monitor the activities of the school health clubs with a view to providing a holistic approach to health in schools." (Republic of Mauritius, 2008)

School health clubs would serve to "promote the health and…