Translator: David NZAYITURIKI Reviewer: Mirjana Čutura
People call me a success.
I studied at Yale University.
I worked for BASF,
the largest chemical company in the world.
But yet, you know what?
I don't know Chopin.
Actually, I don't know much about music.
I grew up in this education system
where it's always about studying, studying and studying.
It was about taking the exams for the O Levels, for the A Levels.
I was really good at taking exams,
really good at those.
For me,
success was only but a linear line of scores from 0 to 100.
That was all that mattered to me.
Until a certain point in time.
I later discovered that something was missing,
that something else was required for success.
And I would like to share with you the following topics tonight.
Firstly,
it is all about sharing and teamwork.
Secondly, it is about having that self-confidence.
Thirdly, it's about asking that question, "Why?"
developing that analytical mindset.
And finally,
it is about keeping that open mind and seeing our opportunities.
In Mauritius, our education system does not really favor teamwork -
no social skills, no communication skills.
In primary school or secondary school, our classroom typically has 20 students,
sometimes even up to 40 students:
everyone sitting at their own individual desk,
all looking at that one single teacher,
who will keep on lecturing at a constant speed.
Because of the large gap in learning speeds
between the fast learners and the slow learners,
the slow ones will inherently get lost gradually over time.
However, they are sometimes just too timid to even stop the teacher
and ask for clarifications.
Sometimes this is sad,
but some students are even punished for speaking with other students in class.
Now, just imagine a second solution,
and it's simple.
Just imagine that those same 20 students
will be divided into five teams of four students each.
Now, that same single teacher will have the time to walk to each team,
and instead of being a lecturer,
he will just be here to guide,
to let the group discuss and learn at their own pace.
Sharing with each other will enhance also our self-esteem.
Just imagine those same students.
At the end of the year,
they will get a team bonus for participation in team.
Their scores will go up,
they will be encouraged the next year to do better.
Just multiply that by 13 years of our primary and secondary schooling
and potentially a few more years in university,
and I'm sure that our young graduates
will go into society and be able to face this corporate world,
a world where teamwork is essential.
Apart from the benefit of teamwork,
this setup also helps improve our self-confidence.
In a team, there would be a team leader,
and he would have the chance to lead his team
and develop his leadership skills.
On top of that, each individual member, those four together
will have the chance to discuss more,
to take those baby steps and step outside of their comfort zone.
They will be forced to explain the concept to their surrounding members.
Not only will this develop a very strong social bond,
but it will force them, actually, to think deeper,
to think bigger in life,
to think about something that they initially thought, "It's not possible."
In Mauritius, I believe that we can empower our students
by encouraging them to make mistakes
and learn from those mistakes.
It is very important not to be afraid to fail.
We have always been told to succeed.
We always score towards a 100,
but we have never been told just to fail and see what happens.
Well, actually, I did fail once, but okay - in music.
(Laughs)
And it is very important to give them that room to develop themselves.
Apart from working in a team,
it is also very important, for one, to be able to think independently.
We should always ask ourselves the question, "Why?"
If you observe babies and young kids, they grow up, and they ask their parents,
"Why is this so, Dad?" "Why is that so, Mom?
But now, when I observe the secondary school students of Mauritius,
I just notice that they take for granted whatever their teacher tells them.
They never question anything.
So, somehow, somewhere and sometime during their growth,
they lost that intuition to ask the question, "Why?"
It is a pity.
Without that self-confidence and having the ability to ask the question, "Why?"
many of our young employees, they do not dare to take initiatives
when they join the corporate world.
They are just concerned that they will get it wrong.
Hey, but how about, "Let's apply some common sense?
Let's just approach it with a proactive step.
Let's just do it first, and then we'll ask for permissions later on."
That's my approach, anyway, so ...
(Laughs)
(Applause)
And finally, I would like to encourage everyone to keep an open mind.
Having an open mind, it will let us see opportunities
and opportunities where maybe others will see a crisis,
and even possibly, difficulties and challenges.
If we would encourage our students,
instead of at the age of 15 in secondary school,
to embark on a long journey of specialization
of becoming that scientist or that artist or that architect
or that historian,
we can actually ask them to just keep opening up their mind,
take any courses they would like.
We can facilitate that
by just adopting a similar system as to the United States,
where, for instance, there are a lot of courses that can be taken
without the fear of being graded.
That's why I took my music course.
I knew that it wouldn't affect my grades.
(Laughter)
For this reason, I would encourage everyone
to start encouraging the kids to ask the question, "Why?"
to keep an open mind.
We should also ask them to just share with their friends.
Sharing is the best way to learn.
And finally, for myself, I still don't know much about music,
but I can tell you I would like to know more about Chopin.
Thank you.
(Applause)