Students with disabilities – Ministry under fire

A former education minister is among critics who have accused the education ministry in Mauritius of discrimination for refusing a grant to Jane Constance, a blind singer and UNESCO Artist for Peace, to study in the United Kingdom.

Explaining why his daughter could not study in Mauritius, Tony Constance said teachers there did not have the qualifications necessary to adapt to her needs. “You need teachers who have mastered Braille, and that is not easy to find in Mauritius,” he told L’Express of Port Louis.

He said the cost of Jane’s studies in the UK was estimated at about MUR5 million (US$142,000), reported L’Express.

L’Express quoted an education ministry source as saying there was no provision for disabled persons to receive a grant to study abroad: “There are five grants allocated each year for people with special needs, but only to study in Mauritius. The state cannot go beyond that; there is no policy for this.”

But Armoogum Parsuramen, former education minister and president of the Global Rainbow Foundation, who supported the Constances, said: “The attitude of the ministry of education is neither correct, nor responsible. It has treated this demand casually and with a lack of humanity.”

Parsuramen told L’Express the Constances were not asking the government to cover the full cost of Jane’s studies, but for a contribution towards her special needs. He added that the University of Central Lancashire had already confirmed an offer and had offered a partial grant of about £4,000 (US$5,200) a year, for four years.

The university would also let her have a guide dog, and had offered technological support, reported L’Express.

Tony Constance told L’Express the issue concerned equality of opportunity for everyone: “It is not only for Jane but for all other young people with disabilities.”

Jane Constance, who was blind at birth, was named as a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2017 for her commitment to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities. She took up singing at the age of five, and playing the piano at seven, and studied in London at the Royal School of Music. In 2015 she won French television competition ‘The Voice Kids’. – Compiled by Jane Marshall

This article is drawn from local media. University World News cannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.