Madam Speaker, allow me before starting to answer this main question to wish good luck to all the 14,837 PSAC students who have started their PSAC examinations today and which will continue till Friday 31 October. Coming to the main question, I wish to inform the House that the Foundation Programme for Literacy, Numeracy and Skills was introduced in January 2025 by this government to replace the defunct and much decried Extended Programme. To recall, the success rate of the previous Extended Programme was on average a meagre 6% with the result that some 2000 students were leaving the system without a certificate every year. Allow me to provide the hon. Member from Rodrigues, figures related to the performance of our students in Rodrigues. In 2022, only 3 out of 167 students, in 2023 only 21 out of 204 and in 2024 only 7 out of 209 students who took the NCE exams were successful. Only 31 out of 580 students who took the NCE exams in Rodrigues for the past three years were successful. The figures above clearly show how neither the curriculum nor the assessment frameworks of the former Extended Programme was adapted for those children who were unsuccessful in their PSAC examinations. In contrast to the defunct Extended Programme, the FPLNS blends academic and vocational components creating clearer pathways towards the technical and vocational education and training stream. The structure of the programme places emphasis on basic literacy, numeracy, digital literacy and practical skills with a view to reducing the dropout rate. Madam Speaker, I wish to inform the House that all candidates attempting the PSAC assessment for the first time and who have not been successful in up to three compulsory core subjects, shall take part in a reassessment session during the month of December to provide them with a second chance to meet the minimum requirement for obtaining their PSAC. Candidates who are successful in the reassessment exercise would be admitted to Grade 7 of the mainstream programme whereas those who are unsuccessful have two options – either to repeat Grade 6, once more, or to join the Foundation Programme at Grade 7. Madam Speaker, with regard to part (a) of the question, the options I have just mentioned remain valid for the students the 2025 PSAC examinations.

47 As regard to part (b) of the question, I wish to inform the House that the foundation class at Grade 7 has already been put in place since the beginning of this year and is operational in all our schools, including Rodrigues.

Thank you.

Just one supplementary.

Yes, you’ve got three minutes.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank the hon. Minister for his answer and I also join him to wish good luck to all the students. May I ask the hon. Minister, whether under the FPLNS, any special subjects will be introduced for Rodriguan students in respect to the specificity of Rodrigues and to provide detail thereof? Thank you.

Thank you, hon. Member, that is an interesting question. Yes, the specificity of Rodrigues has been borne in mind and definitely as electives, students in Rodrigues will have the options of doing farming and also fishing. These will be part of the electives in Rodrigues.

Very good. That is a good way to stop, I think. Maybe we can break for one hour and a half. Thank you. At 12.58 p.m., the Sitting was suspended. On resuming at 2.31 p.m. with the Deputy Speaker in the Chair.

The hon. Second Member for Savanne and Black River! DIGITAL HEALTH LAW DRAFTING – UNDP ENGAGEMENT