The education system in Mauritius bears the influence of British education. Preprimary education is fee paying. Primary schooling is free and covers 6 years. This leads to a highly selective Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) which opens the doors of secondary schooling. Since 1991, secondary education is also free and compulsory. But 80% of secondary schools are in the private sector. Secondary schooling leads to the School Certificate after 5 years of study, and the Higher School Certificate after two additional years of study. Technical education provided by two polytechnic schools and higher education, provided by the institutes, are also free. The historical overview of the evolution of education in Mauritius indicates that education reform and policy have often been the result of crises, and rarely an attempt to plan the long-term development of education in a consistent and coherent manner. There was consensus among all the actors at national level that the time had come for a comprehensive review of the education system, particularly as a plausible education strategy was one of the prerequisites for international financing. This article describes the successful experience of Mauritius in the preparation and implementation of its Master Plan for Education. The plan was presented in 1991 after national consultations to provide short-, medium- and long-term strategies for educational development. The plan has not only been of use to Mauritius, but has also served as a model in many developing countries. (Contains 6 notes and 26 resources.)