Overview of the Country

Background:

  • Official name: Republic of Mauritius 1
  • Capital: Port Louis 1
  • Location: Eastern Africa 1
  • Official languages: English (primary language used in government and administrative functions) and French 1
  • Population: 1,259,509 (2024) 2
  • Gross domestic product (GDP): US$ 14.4 Billion (2023) 3
  • Gross national income (GNI) per capita, PPP (current international $): 30,230 (2023) 4

Membership of Regional Economic Communities (RECs):

Additional Resources:

Sources:

  1. The Government of Mauritius
  2. Population and Vital Statistics - Republic of Mauritius
  3. World Bank - GDP
  4. World Bank - GNI

The Education policy framework in Mauritius focuses on creating a high-quality, inclusive, and accessible education system to support the country's vision of becoming a knowledge hub and enhancing the skills of its population. It incorporates policies like the Nine-Year Continuous Basic Education (NYCBE), which ensures that all students complete nine years of schooling, and reforms that integrate digital learning and modern teaching methodologies.

For Skills Development, the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) Strategic Plan aims at:

  • Better situating the HRDC in fostering human resource and skills development for national socio-economic growth;
  • Generating actionable insights to support skills development at national level;
  • Implementing and supporting skills development initiatives to optimise existing skills and equip individuals with new skills that will be in demand;
  • Providing a better service to its multiple stakeholders; and
  • Transforming the HRDC to better respond to upcoming skills-related changes in the world of work.

For tertiary education, critical sector strategic priorities include:  

  • Expanding opportunities for all Mauritians to access tertiary education
  • Ensuring that tertiary education institutions provide high-quality, relevant education aligned with national and international standards
  • Positioning Mauritius as a global hub for higher education by attracting international students and institutions
  • Promoting research to support sustainable development and economic growth
  • Improving governance within the tertiary education sector and ensuring financial sustainability.

Policy and Strategy References

Strategic Plan

Tertiary education strategic plan

Strategy for prevocational education

Early Childhood Education policy framework  

National Teachers Standards

Digital Mauritius 2030 Strategic Plan

The National Qualifications Framework (NQF)

Digital Mauritius strategic plan

Special Education Needs and Inclusive Education policy and strategy

Gender policy

Youth policy

Resilience plan

Climate change policy

Non-State Actors in Education    

Education Scenario for 2043  

Education Act

Additional Resources:

Sources:

  1. Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology. (2013). Mauritius Tertiary education strategic plan 2013-2025
  2. The National Curriculum Framework (Pre Primary)

Governance Structure for Education:

Education System Structure: 1

  • Pre-primary education: Its overall goal is to develop the intellectual, spiritual, socio emotional and psycho-motor skills, knowledge and attitudes of children between the age of 3 and 5 years to their full potential and to foster within them a strong sense of self confidence and self esteem
  • Primary Education: At Grades 1-6. The curriculum comprise of core and non-core learning areas
  • Secondary Education: Free and compulsory for all up to the age of 16. Secondary Education in Mauritius is a 7-year cycle from Grade 7 to Grade 13.
  • Tertiary education: with several public and private institutions. 

Additional Resources:

Sources:

  1. The National Curriculum Framework (Pre Primary)

School age population (2023) 1

  • Pre-primary: 25 914
  • Primary: 80 245
  • Lower secondary: 45 078
  • Upper secondary: 69 727

Gross enrolment ratio: 1

  • Pre-primary: No data found
  • Primary: 110.91% (2023)
  • Lower Secondary: 108.84% (2021)
  • Upper secondary: 77.49% (2020)


Completion rates 2

  • Primary: no data found
  • Lower Secondary: no data found
  • Upper Secondary: 69.49% (2017)

Out-of-School rate: 2

  • Primary school age:  1.74% (2023)
  • Lower secondary school age: 9.16% (2020)
  • Upper secondary school age: 24.60% (2020)

 

Additional Resources:

Sources: 

  1. UIS Data
  2. UIS SDG4 Data

 

Proportion of children and young people achieving at least a minimum proficiency level by sex 1

Reading

  • In grades 2/3: No data found
  • At the end of primary: 75.40% (2013)
  • At the end of lower secondary: No data found

Mathematics  

  • In grades 2/3: No data found
  • At the end of primary:  59.00% (2013)
  • At the end of lower secondary: No data found


School Certificate Results – Percentage Passed 2

Republic of Mauritius:  

  • Both sexes: 78.5% (2022)
  • Male: 74.9%
  • Female: 81.5%

 

Island of Mauritius:  

  • Both sexes: 78.6% (2022)
  • Male: 74.9%
  • Female: 81.8%

 

Island of Rodrigues:  

  • Both sexes:75.5% (2022)
  • Male: 73.6%
  • Female: 77.0%

 

Higher School Certificate Results – Percentage Passed 2

Republic of Mauritius (2022):  

  • Both sexes: 92.3%  
  • Male: 89.1%
  • Female: 94.6%

 

Island of Mauritius (2022):  

  • Both sexes: 92.3%  
  • Male: 89.1%
  • Female: 94.8%

 

Island of Rodrigues (2022):  

  • Both sexes: 90.6%                              
  • Male: 91.1%
  • Female: 90.2%

 

 

Additional Resources:

Sources:

  1. UIS
  2. Republic of Mauritius, Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology. (2023). Education Card

Percentage of teachers qualified according to the national standards (2023): 1

  • Pre-primary: 100%
  • Primary school: 100%
  • Lower secondary: No data found
  • Upper secondary: No data found

Percentage of teachers trained according to the national standards: 1

  • Pre-primary: No data found
  • Primary school: No data found
  • Lower secondary: No data found
  • Upper secondary: No data found

Additional Resources:

Sources:

  1. UIS

School infrastructure and facilities / Electricity: 1

  • Primary Education: 100% (2023)
  • Lower Secondary Education: 100% (2023)
  • Upper Secondary Education: 100% (2023) 

School infrastructure and facilities / Single‐sex basic sanitation facilities: 1

  • Primary Education: 100% (2023)
  • Lower Secondary Education: 100% (2023)
  • Upper Secondary Education: 100% (2023)

 

Additional Resources:

Sources: 

  1. UIS SDG4 Data

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months (15-64 years old) (2022):  1

  • Both sexes: 11.15%
  • Male: 12.04%
  • Female: 10.23%

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months (15-24 years old) (2022):  1

  • Both sexes: 52.62%
  • Male: 48.70%
  • Female: 56.60%

Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education (2020): 1

  • Both sexes:  3.50%
  • Male: 4.58%
  • Female: 2.40%

Share of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) (2023): 2

  • Both sexes: 29.4% (2022)
  • Male: 14.6%
  • Female: 20.2%

Number of people 15-35 years old: 3

  • Total: 376,461 (2024)
  • Employed: 174,339 people (46.3%)
  • Unemployed: 21,571 people (5.7%)
  • Inactive: 51,010 people (13.6%) 
  • Student: 129,540 people (34.4%)

Additional Resources:

Sources:

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education (2022): 1

  • Both sexes: 44.20%  (2022)
  • Male: 37.57%
  • Female: 51.07%

Total number of Higher Education institutions: 42 2

  • Public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): 23
  • Private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): 10

Additional Resources:

Sources:

  1. UIS
  2. Higher Education Commission Mauritius

Gender Parity Index (GPI) Gross enrolment ratio: 1

  • Primary: 1.01 (2023)
  • Lower secondary: 0.96 (2021)
  • Upper secondary: 1.09 (2020)

Adjusted Gender Parity Index (GPIA) Gross enrolment ratio: 2

  • Tertiary: 1.26 (2022)

Proportion of schools with adapted infrastructure and materials for students with disabilities (2021): 2

  • Primary: 55.38% (2023)
  • Lower secondary: 98.88% (2023)
  • Upper secondary: 98.88% (2023)

Additional Resources:

Sources:

  1. UIS
  2. UIS SDG4 Data

Expenditure on education: 1

  • Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP: 4.57% (2023) 
  • Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure: 12.19% (2022)

Additional Resources: 

Sources: 

  1. UIS SDG4 Data 

Literacy rate by age group: (2022)

  • 15+ years: 92.15%
  • 15-24 years: 99.30%
  • 25-64 years: 93.93%
  • 65+ years: 76.48%

Literacy rate by sex: (2022) 

  • Both sexes: 92.15% (2021)
  • Males: 93.91%
  • Females: 90.46%

Additional Resources: 

Sources:

  1. UIS SDG4 Data

Proportion of schools with access to internet for pedagogical purposes (2023): 1

  • Lower secondary: 100%
  • Upper secondary: 100%

Proportion of secondary schools with access to computers for pedagogical purposes (2023): 1

  • Lower secondary: 100%
  • Upper secondary: 100%

Additional Resources:

Sources:

  1. UIS SDG4 Data

Total:

  • Refugees and asylum seekers: No data found 1
  • Internally Displaced Persons due to conflict or natural disasters: 73 2

Sources:

  1. UNHCR Operational Data Portal – UNHCR
  2. Global Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre