Accessibility links They are being put up in a five-star beach front hotel complete with a golf course, watersports, spas and a beauty salon
during a trip which has been condemned as “inappropriate” by campaigners. At least 20 state school heads from England and Scotland are expected to attend the three-day conference on the Indian Ocean island – famed for its white sand, clear blue sea and warm climate – to discuss the issue of “global citizenship”. It insisted the event, including more than 100 heads in total from countries including the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia, was being held in Mauritius following a direct invitation from the country’s prime minister. The choice of venue has been condemned as hugely insensitive in the middle of the deepest recession for decades. Mark Wallace, campaign director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “For parents in Britain frustrated at the state of our schools this trip will rub salt in the wounds. At any time it would be inappropriate for the education budget to be spent on five-star hotels on desert islands, but in the middle of a recession it is particularly inappropriate”. The SSAT, which received around &pound35 million from the public purse last year, runs so-called “iNet”, an international network enabling schools around the world to share ideas. It insisted the network was funded almost completely from schools abroad and almost 1,500 are affiliated.
Up to 20 places are available for British heads, with 13 confirming so far.