A conference to rethink educational sciences from a regional perspective – JDM

How to think about the education/instruction of the young generations of the Indian Ocean countries to face the challenges of today and tomorrow? This is the main problem of the international conference organized at the CUFR on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 November. At a time when education in Mayotte is facing increasing difficulties, particularly linked to the question of immigration from the Comoros, Philippe Charpentier considered that it was useful to open up the reflection of students by offering them research results in Education and Training Sciences from researchers in neighboring countries. “There are a lot of tensions in teaching currently between what is demanded by the institution and the reality on the ground. Mayotte is administratively part of Europe, but geographically and culturally it is part of the Indian Ocean, so it is interesting to see what is happening in neighboring countries in terms of education,” he said.

Several lecturers from Malagasy, Reunion, Comorian and metropolitan universities attended this conference. When asked, Mozambique unfortunately did not respond. “One of the common problems is that teaching is done in French even though it is rarely the students’ first language,” notes Philippe Charpentier. This question obviously constitutes the main crux of the teaching difficulties in Mayotte, fueled by the often too low level of many teachers. “We are trying to do quantitative things to the detriment of quality. Establishing tenure for people who do not have the level is a fact that questions me. I don’t have the solution, but it is clear that quantity is not enough,” he analyzes. In addition to opening up reflection to the region, the lecturer also hopes that this conference will help develop a spirit of research among students who unfortunately often lack it.

Anthropology to the aid of educational sciences?

The speakers, in person or remotely, took turns throughout the morning to share the fruits of their research. Xavier Riondet, from the University of Rennes 2, took stock of the functioning of education in France, wondering how to adapt it to peripheral regions. “It is perfectly possible to apply old models by updating them,” he observed, citing as an example the Freinet pedagogy which, although a century old, still works very well for current students if so much. is that she be rehabilitated.

Malagasy researchers have, for their part, addressed issues as diverse as the curricular and pragmatic approach to changing student behavior from a perspective of environmental protection and the relationships of interdependence between the postures of teachers and those students. Lecturer in anthropology at CUFR, Georgeta Stoïca presented the work of a Mahorese teacher, Haïra Saïd Allaoui, who went to explore how school was going in Anjouan. “It is essential to know the life history of your students better to help them learn better,” concluded the anthropologist. How do we learn in Anjouan and what motivates people to come to Mayotte? So many questions that are essential to better care for students.

Noble ambitions, but how can we do it in practice when we are faced with around thirty students with different needs every day? This is the criticism expressed to us by Soihabati, one of the students participating in the conference. “It was very interesting, but it lacked concrete elements to apply in our daily lives,” she lamented, regretting that too few tools were delivered. However, as Philippe Charpentier affirmed, research is not intended to find ready-made solutions, but rather to launch avenues for reflection. “This conference aims to initiate common research and to get to know each other better between neighboring countries,” he recalled. However, we can hope that these reflections sow seeds in the minds of students to enable them to improve their practice by finding innovative solutions adapted to the needs of their students.

Nora Godeau