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Mauritius : Mauritius Examinations Syndicate launches HSC Professional Qualifications [TendersInfo (India)](TendersInfo (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Mauritius Examinations Syndicate (MES) proceeded to the launch, this morning in Réduit, of the HSC Professional Qualifications (HSC Pro), the ITEM Banking System and the E-marking projects. The Minister of Education and Human Resources, Dr Vasant Bunwaree; the Director of MES, Prof Lucien Finette, and representatives of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), United Kingdom, amongst others were present at the ceremony which coincides with the 30th anniversary of MES. HSC Pro is an alternative qualification to the traditional Higher School Certificate and provides a pathway to students who, after their School Certificate, are looking for a course of study more geared to the world of work, while still keeping open the option of going for tertiary studies. This pilot project is now on in 12 secondary schools, including one in Rodrigues. Besides developing students interest in furthering their education, HSC Pro offer greater chances of success since the programme is more flexible and caters for different learning styles. It also provides students with a deeper understanding of work place requirements so that they can relate theory to practice, amongst others. In the first stance HSC Pro will be available in ICT. Other strands that are being considered include Tourism, Design, Business and Administration, and Sustainable Development. In its bid to improve the quality of test items and examinations, the MES is adopting the Item Banking System whose objective is to strengthen the authoring process and deliver enriched services to schools. Another innovation is the e-marking project which relates to the use of information technology for any assessment-related activity. Its main advantages include instant results and statistics, improved reliability and impartiality, as well as greater storage efficiency. The 8th edition of the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Award was held today. This year the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Award celebrates the achievement of 25 Mauritian students who have come top in the world by achieving outstanding grades in the November 2013 O Level and A Level examinations. Mauritian candidates taking part in the Cambridge examinations compete with students from over 60 countries around the world. In his address, Dr Bunwaree stated that 30 years is an important landmark in the life of an institution and recalled that his Ministry and the MES have a longstanding partnership with the CIE. It has paved access of Mauritian students to many reputed tertiary institutions around the world, he said. According to the Minister, MES and CIE have helped develop a culture of excellence in Mauritius. The presence of the 25 recipients of Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards today proves that a lot of good work is going on in schools. (c) 2014 Euclid Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company |