ISSUE No. 13: March 2014

E-NEWSLETTER

MINISTRY OF TERTIARY EDUCATION,

SCIENCE, RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1 Editorial i

2 International Student of the Month 1

3 Workshop on National Science,

Technology and Innovation Policy and

Strategy 2014 -2025 2

4 Mauritius International Knowledge

Investment Forum (MIKIF) 2014 3

5 Launching of workshop on “Coral Reefs

under Anthropogenic & Climate Change-

Driven Disturbances 3

6 National Day Celebrations at the

University of Mauritius 4

7 Sky Observation Programme at Quatre

Bornes 4

8 Events and Courtesy Calls 5

EDITORIAL TEAM

Mr. Nehrroy Seechurn

Ms. Sajeda Budaly

EDITORIAL

The highlights for the month of March are

the workshop on National Science, Technology

and Innovation Policy and Strategy 2014-2025.

The start of construction of the University

Campus at Montagne Blanche .

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

more in this edition!

Editorial Team

1

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Name: Samuel Ekonem

Country of Origin: Nigeria

Studies Enrolled: Information Technology/

Business Information System

Samuel

A. How did you come to know about Mauritius

as a destination for higher education? My

institution, where I was pursuing my secondary

studies informed me of the alternative of

obtaining a higher degree in Mauritius.

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? I think that obtaining a

UK degree at a lower cost was my best reason

for choosing Mauritius.

C. And your first impressions about the island?

It is a really interesting country. It has a very

nice environment, the fresh air and natural

beauty of the island is appeasing.

D. Was it difficult to adapt to the environment

and the people in Mauritius? The diversity of

the people is very appealing. However, I had

some problems getting along with other

Mauritian students. It is probably because of the

language, as they tend to speak to each other in

Creole. But the majority of the population is

English-literate, hence communication is not a

big issue.

E. Have you been able to visit the country? Well

yes! I’ve been to Port-Louis – The blend of sights

and sounds is simply amazing!

I’ve also been to two beaches, and they are

fantastic! The beauty of the island is remarkable.

2

Workshop on National Science,

Technology and Innovation Policy and

Strategy 2014-2025

The Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science,

Research and Technology in collaboration with

the Mauritius Research Council organised a

national workshop on Thursday 20 March 2014

at La Canelle, Domaine les Pailles for national

consultations on a science, technology and

innovation policy and strategy.

The purpose of the workshop was to define the

policy and strategy for Science and Technology

up to 2025, as these are vitally important to

address the challenges of sustainable

development, disaster management and the

Ocean economy as well as increase the

competitiveness of industry and services

sectors.

International experts participated in the event

as keynote speakers, namely:

Professor James Wilsdon, Professor of Science

and Democracy, Science Policy Research Unit,

University of Sussex, UK;

Dr. Peggy Oti-Boateng, Senior Programme

Specialist in Science, Research and

Technology, UNESCO; and

Mr William G. Kepner, Research Ecologist,

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

3

Mauritius International Knowledge Investment

Forum (MIKIF) 2014

The Mauritius International Knowledge

Investment Forum (MIKIF) is an annual event

organised by the Board of Investment (BOI) to

showcase opportunities and latest trends in the

education sector.

MIKIF 2014 was held on 4 March at The Waldorf

Hilton, London, United Kingdom. The main areas

of focus of MIKIF 2014 were as follows:

Internationalisation of Higher education and student mobility in Africa

Addressing the growing human resource requirements in Africa

Mauritius: The Higher Education Platform of Africa

Developing meaningful collaborations – Success Stories

The one-day event was graced by the presence

of Mr Mark Simmonds, UK Minister for Africa

and the Minister of Tertiary Education, Science,

Research and Technology of Mauritius, Dr the

Hon. Rajesh Jeetah.

Launching of workshop on “Coral Reefs under

Anthropogenic & Climate Change-Driven

Disturbances”

A one-day workshop on “Coral Reefs under

Anthropogenic and Climate Change-Driven

Disturbances” was held on Friday 21 March

2014 at the University of Mauritius.

Jointly organised by the University of Mauritius

and the Shizuoka University, Japan, and with the

collaboration of the Biodiversity and

Environment Institute, the aim of the workshop

was to help raise awareness on coral reef

ecosystem in a changing environment, helping

stakeholders identify and adopt means and ways

to protect our national coral reef ecosystem can.

4

46th Anniversary of Independence Day and the

22nd Anniversary of the Republic of Mauritius at

the University of Mauritius

Theme : ‘Enn Pei, Enn Nasion, Enn Destin’.

The University of Mauritius organised the official

flag raising ceremony on Tuesday 11 March

2014 at the Paul Octave Wiehe Auditorium,

Réduit.

Sky Observation Programme at Quatre Bornes

The Sky Observation Programme was organised

by the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre on Friday 14

March, at La Source Community Centre, Quatre

Bornes.

The RGSC set three telescopes to allow visitors

to view celestial objects, craters on the surface

of the moon and even planets such as Venus.

5

Events and Courtesy Calls

• Open Day at the University of Technology,

Mauritius – 4 March

Reception by the British High Commission

in Mauritius in the context of the UK

Professional Development Fair – 4 March

Meeting with International Students from

the Middlesex International Students

Association Mauritius (MISAM) – 3 March

6

Handing over Ceremony of the site for the

construction of the New Montagne Blanche

University Campus – 1 March

7