ISSUE No. 8: September

2013

E-NEWSLETTER

MINISTRY OF TERTIARY EDUCATION,

SCIENCE, RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1 Editorial i

2 International Student of the Month 1

3 Inauguration of Université des

Mascareignes 2

4 Open University launches new campus in

Bel Air 3

5 ICITI 2013 3

6 University of Mauritius Research Week

2013 3

7 Board Meeting of International Open

Universities in Mauritius 4

8 Launching of Business Research Incubator

Centre Phase 2 5

9 RGSC - Science on the Move 6

10 Science Week at L`Escalier

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EDITORIAL TEAM

Ms. Shaina Woodun

Mr. Nehrroy Seechurn

EDITORIAL

The month of September was marked by the inauguration

of Université des Mascareignes at Camp Levieux and the

Bel Air campus by the Prime Minister, as part of

Government strategy to make higher education more

accessible.

National researchers are given the chance to present their

works at the University of Mauritius Research Week 2013.

The Business Research Incubator Centre – Phase 2, an

initiative of the Mauritius Research Council, is launched

with a view to promoting innovation and

entrepreneurship.

Who is the ‘International Student of the month’? Find out

more in this edition!

Editorial Team

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Name: Nieka Gordon

Zodiac Sign: Aquarian

Country of Origin: South Africa

Studies Enrolled: MBBS

Nieka Gordon

A. How did you come to know about

Mauritius? It is a frequent holiday

destination for South Africans.

B. Why did you choose Mauritius when you

had the choice of studying in your own

country and enjoy the comfort of living with

your parents and seeing your friends? From

a learning perspective, Mauritius was a good

opportunity. And anyway, it is only a four-

hour flight to South Africa.

C. And your first impressions about the island?

The people and the climate – simply

awesome! Mauritians are very easy-going

and mixing with them on campus is no big

deal.

D. Your idea of perfect happiness? Achieving

my goals, and living up my love for Medicine.

E. Which historical figure do you most identify

with? Saint Joan of Arc

F. What is your favourite food? Pasta,

definitely!

G. How important is it to be liked? Everyone

has to feel liked, but only for the right

reasons.

H. If you were stranded on a desert island,

what three items would you take with you?

1. A speed boat

2. An umbrella

3. My iPod

I. If you could change one thing about

yourself, what would it be? I would like to be

more patient.

J. What is your most irritating habit? Playing

with any jewellery I have on.

K. Last question: Your motto? Don’t sweat the

small stuff!

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Inauguration of Université des Mascareignes

The main event of this month was the

inauguration of Université des Mascareignes by

the Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius,

Dr the Honourable Navinchandra Ramgoolam, on

September the 2nd. The official opening of the

Pamplemousses campus was conducted by the

Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research

and Technology, Dr the Honourable Rajeshwar

Jeetah, on the same day.

Distinguished guests from France were present at

the ceremony - Mr. Gerard Vanderbroucke, Vice

President of the Conseil Regional du Limousin;

Prof. Alain Célérier, Vice-President of the

Université de Limoges; Mr. Jacques Fontanille,

Representative of the Ministry of Higher

Education of France; and Mr. Jean François

Dobelle, Ambassador of France in Mauritius.

The Université des Mascareignes was established

in 2012 as a public funded institution. In his

address, the Prime Minister underlined that

Government is investing Rs 13 billion in the

education sector including for the free transport

facilities to all students to enable everybody to

have access to education. He stated that we do

not want a child not to go to school because the

parents cannot afford to pay the transport fees

and we believe that no young person should be

denied university education because of lack of

financial means.

The Prime Minister pointed out that though

Mauritius is witnessing an impressive increase in

the rate of enrolment in tertiary education (TER)

- from 6,735 registered students in 2000 to

49,625 in 2012 -, it is not enough, we need to

target a TER of 70% by the end of 2015. He listed

Government actions in that perspective namely

the grant of 50 scholarships to African students,

additional campus facilities within the next three

years across the island namely in

Pamplemousses, Réduit and Montagne Blanche,

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and the setting up of an institution based on the

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. The

Prime Minister spoke of the development of

Knowledge Park in Piton where some 50 acres of

land have been earmarked.

On the occasion. 6 scholarships were given to

students to pursue their studies at the University.

Open University launches new campus in Bel Air

The Bel Air campus which will be used by Open

University and the Mauritius Research Council

was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of

Mauritius, Dr the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam

on Thursday 12th September 2013. It will be used

to run courses offered by the Open University

and as a centre for scientific research on diabetes

in collaboration with Oxford University.

International Conference on International

Trade and Investment 2013

The 3rd International Conference on International

Trade and Investment “Non –Tariff Measures:

The New Frontier of Trade Policy?” was held in

Mauritius from the 4th to 6th September in

Mauritius and was organised by the University of

Mauritius (UoM) jointly with the World Trade

Organisation Chairs Programme (WCP).

It aimed at providing a forum to various

stakeholders and policy makers working on

issues related to Africa and developing countries

from the region on the impact that Non-tariff

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measures (NTMS) on national trade and to get

acquainted with the latest thinking in

international trade, investment, aid, regional

integration, trade competitiveness, economic

development and poverty.

University of Mauritius Research Week 2013

The 6th Edition of the UoM Research Week was

held at the University of Mauritius from 16 to 20

September.

It provided a consolidated platform for staff,

students and researchers to interact and carry

out peer discussions of ongoing or emerging

research, to showcase research being carried out

at inter and intra-departmental levels.

Board Meeting of International Open

Universities in Mauritius

The Commonwealth of Learning (Canada)

organised the 24th Academic Board meeting and

the 10th Executive Governing Board meeting for

the first time in Mauritius in collaboration with

the Open University. The opening ceremony was

held on 27 September 2013 in the presence of Dr

the Hon Rajeshwar Jeetah at La Plantation

Resort. The meetings were chaired by the CEO

and President of the Commonwealth of Learning,

Prof Asha Kanwar who commended Mauritius for

the establishment of the Open University.

Vice-Chancellors of several open universities

around the world discussed the modalities and

academic issues governing of the prestigious

Commonwealth Executive MBA and

Commonwealth Executive Master of Public

Administration.

Academics from Pakistan, Cayman Islands,

Malaysia, Ghana, Sri Lanka, and Botswana among

others participated in the Academic Board.

Capacity building at Open University

The Commonwealth of Learning conducted a

workshop for the staff of the Open University of

Mauritius from 30 Sept to 04 Oct 2013 to on e-

learning development and management. The

course was attended by 28 staff members from

the Open University.

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Launching Ceremony of Business Research

Incubator Centre (BRIC) Phase 2 by

Mauritius Research Council

The Mauritius Research Council, in collaboration

with the MTESRT has set up the Business

Research Incubator Centre (BRIC), which was

officially launched at the Mauritius Research

Council in early March 2011 by Hon Dr Rajeshwar

Jeetah. The BRIC defines a new collaborative and

interactive venture focused on fostering the

transformation of Mauritian Innovation into

competitive businesses.

Since its creation, the BRIC hosted six pre start-

up companies. The BRIC incubatees benefited

from regular in-house counselling, meeting with

potential venture capitalists, and exposure to

business angels via Business Angels Forums

organized by the Council. The Incubatees were

also guided by business development experts

from the Mauritius Business Growth Scheme

(MBGS); Board of Investment (BoI) and

Enterprise Mauritius. Such an inter-institutional

collaborative effort in the Business Incubation

sector is a first of its kind in Mauritius and has

proven to be very beneficial and crucial for the

success of the incubatees.

Business incubators are beginning to develop in

Mauritius but we are still lagging behind other

countries such as Sweden and some in Africa. In

this context, the second phase of the BRIC project

was officially launched on Wednesday 4th

September 2013 at the premises of the Open

University (ex MBC Building) at Forest Side in the

presence of the Hon. Minister Dr. R. Jeetah.

Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre - Science on the Move

A new initiative of the Rajiv Gandhi Science

Centre, “Science on the Move” was officially

launched on 5th September 2013 at Kendra

Shopping Centre, St Pierre. The objective of this

new outreach activity is primarily to create

awareness about science by making it more

accessible to the general public and to encourage

them to take a keen interest in Science and

Technology during their leisure time.

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The program provides a set of hands-on

experiences and investigations such as science

demonstrations, interactive exhibits that will

engage the mind and body. The exhibits were

displayed till 7 September to allow maximum

interaction with the public. The event was a huge

success, with the number of visitors attaining

more than 3,000.

Science Week at L’Escalier

The Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre (RGSC)

continues its journey in the different regions of

Mauritius. In the month of September, the RGSC

hosted its Science Week at L`Escalier Social

Welfare Centre to promote the importance of

Science among the villagers. This platform is also

used to create awareness about the role that

Science plays in the various sectors of the

Mauritian economy.

The science week started on 19 September 2013

and saw the participation of approximately 3,000

residents of the region.

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