Message of the Head of School
The School of Arts and Humanities is one of the four Schools of the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE). It shoulders the responsibility of servicing courses for teacher education and curriculum development for Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary school levels in Languages (English, French and Kreol Repiblik Moris ), Social Sciences including History and Geography, Art and Design, Business Education including Accounting and Travel and Tourism, and Performing Arts. These courses are run at Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor’s and Post Graduate Certificate levels for pre-service and in-service educators, with emphasis on Continuous Professional Development and life-long learning. The courses are serviced by six Departments and one Unit: the language Departments of English, French and Kreol Repiblik Moris (KRM), the Social Sciences, Business Education, Art and Design Departments and the Performing Arts Unit.
With its three language Departments of English, French and KRM, the School of Arts & Humanities presents a rich platform for language pedagogy and research on emerging concepts and on the view of language as a human behaviour. Moreover, this makes the MIE the only tertiary education institution to have set up a formal structure for the teaching of KRM. The Performing Arts Unit shoulders the responsibility for teacher education geared towards the holistic development of the child, in line with the latest policy requirements.
The School also takes pride in the increasing number of research projects in which its members are engaged. These research projects allow academics to infuse knowledge and experience gained through empirical research in their practice as teacher educators and curriculum developers, thereby encouraging constant re-thinking and re-orientation of practice. Moreover, creative and artistic expressions are encouraged and promoted in the School’s endeavour to build bridges with practising and performing artists and writers, with a view to promoting the arts in the country as well as encouraging cultural sensitivity and literacy.
The School of Arts and Humanities has nurtured in its midst eminent Mauritian scholars including linguists, geographers and artists like I. Asgarally, A. C. Kalla, M. Jumeer, P. Saddul, R. Tirvassen, D. Virahsawmy, P. Padaruth and K. Nazroo, who through their commitment to their fields have contributed immensely to language education, arts and culture and the development of education in Mauritius. They have moreover passed on the torch to their successors while inspiring them in their search of excellence in their profession as teacher educators. One seasoned academic from the School is currently heading the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Another academic from the School, despite his young age, has been offered a permanent post at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.
As such, the School of Arts & Humanities provides a rich and dynamic terrain where language and communication, creativity, expressiveness, identity and memory, spatial and temporal cognition including environmental awareness and entrepreneurship work towards the promotion of a shared vision of sustainability in human development. The School thus proves to be a dynamic context that offers unique opportunities for personal and professional growth, continuous professional development and life-long learning for both its academics and students. May the MIE always guide educational professionals in the accomplishment of their career goals.