The Special Education Needs Authority (SENA) is a parastatal body operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology. Its core objective is to monitor and facilitate the implementation of Special Education Needs policies of the Government. It advises the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology on the formulation of policies and in developing the criteria for the registration of SEN Schools both public and private as well as the teaching and non-teaching staff, and any other resource person employed in special education needs institutions.

SENA has a quality assurance unit manned by four (4) Quality Assurance officers. Quality Assurance in Special Education Needs (SEN) schools is of paramount importance to ensure that all learners, regardless of their individual needs, receive a high-quality education that promotes their holistic development. All put together, the quality assurance unit is involved in setting and maintaining high standards of teaching and learning, creating inclusive environments and ensuring that the curriculum is accessible and relevant to students in all SEN schools.

In order to achieve its objective as a regulatory body, Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) for Special Education Needs schools and learners has been conceptualized by SENA at a juncture in the educational eco system in the Republic of Mauritius that represents both unprecedented challenges and novel opportunities for innovative change.

The QAF emphasizes on a developmental approach to building and supporting internal quality assurance in SEN institutions and inclusive set-ups, thus providing sustainable and equitable educational opportunities to our learners with disabilities.

It is also used as a strategic lever to ensuring and strengthening the relevance of global educational experiences of the SEN students. The QAF is balanced by the need for accountability to ensure that SEN schools and other educational institutions with inclusive setups do comply with all norms and standards set by SENA.

The Quality Assurance Framework for SEN schools aims to uphold children’s rights, ensures that special need schools meet SENA’s norms and standards and thus improving educational practices. The Framework encompasses all aspects of quality assurance in SEN schools, namely Governance and Leadership, Learning and Teaching, School Ethos and Climate, Holistic Development of children, School Infrastructure & Sanitation, Parental Engagement and Food& Nutrition. It is also a requisite that sets out parameters within which SEN schools are required to carry out an evaluation of their effectiveness through the process of internal and external evaluation exercises.

The quality assurance unit ensures that all SEN schools implement the framework in order to improve school efficiency and effectiveness.