The Impact of Nine-Year Schooling on Higher Learning in Mauritius

Nine-Year Schooling is the new educational concept developed in Mauritius by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources with the perspective of favouring holistic learning aimed at the future of the Mauritian workforce. With its main intention of being a strategy that aligns Mauritius with international learning standards, this concept should be an effective one although its outcomes have not yet been developed. It is expected that higher learning might be affected by the inputs of the NineYear Schooling namely in terms of competences and skills that are likely to be developed by learners in the new system. This research work analyses how Nine-Year Schooling will impact higher education in terms of prerequisites developed by existing learners, the new paradigm of secondary school education and the new challenges of tertiary education. It also analyses the challenges that the Nine-Year Schooling might pose to higher education. Assuming that outcomes are not yet available, the research seeks expert advice from various stakeholders and a panel of expert opinion to see how the Nine-Year Schooling posits itself in the future and how universities will have to embrace such a new concept

Towards a Policy on Assessment Methodology for Malagasy Students at the Universite Des Mascareignes

With an increase in the intake of foreign students to the Université des Mascareignes (UdM), there are arguments on reviewing the assessment system in force in the university. It might be correct to assume that universities have the flexibility of providing various forms of assessments but these have to be tailored to the needs of contemporary students. The research is based on the fact that Malagasy and foreign students coming from the African region have different educational backgrounds that differ from the Mauritian Anglo-Saxon inherited system with formal examinations and a little change in evaluations recently. The fact that foreign students are now an integral part of the university revealed that Malagasy students, taken as a sample of the research, tended to favour the use of French language and appeared to be more versed in practical applications of learning provided by the UdM. This situation puts them in slight confrontation with Mauritian students who are more apt to learn by heart and assimilate English language without much difficulty. In view of this situation, the researcher claims that it might be possible to make assessments more flexible and adaptable to such foreign students while confirming that the essence of formal examinations should be maintained. This approach could be more practical as evaluation suited to the needs and of foreign students at the UdM

Sub-Saharan Africa's perspective of distance learning

This review article follows the author's participation in the International DEASA Conference held in Mauritius in December 2014. There is a growing concern over the years to develop Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in sub-Saharan Africa based upon the fact that all nations are connected to the Internet and related technologies. In this perspective, the objective of encouraging distance learning comes from the fact that it had existed in Mauritius and several other countries in its traditional form through mail and correspondence courses. The fact that such type of education is gaining more recognition today calls the author to reflect upon how suitably distance education could be imparted in sub-Saharan Africa with the knowledge that it is still in its infancy since Africa is in general lagging behind in technology. There is no excuse given that governments in sub-Saharan Africa believe that distance learning helps building capacity in their respective countries and favours the advancement and growth of individuals. Blending both technology and education followed by governing principles of broadening educational access at the tertiary level might improve opportunities for development and growth. Illustrations are taken from different countries which have both met with the challenges and success of distance learning. It is found out that governments in sub-Saharan Africa need to move forward with bolder initiatives to ensure the success of open and distance learning in the region

Tailoring an MBA degree with a difference in a new university case: Université des Mascareignes, Mauritius

This research paper has been prepared with a view to supporting the need to have a Master in Business Administration (MBA General) programme in a new university namely the Université des Mascareignes, Mauritius. The general perception is that MBAs are common commodity worldwide since they are provided by most tertiary institutions specialised in the business management area. The author, who is also the designer of an MBA programme for his university, undertook research in the related area to see whether there is a demand for such courses and how they could be made useful and relevant to prospective students. The research was conducted through questionnaires that initially targeted existing university students ending their undergraduate course and a few external respondents. Findings revealed that there was a strong demand for an MBA course taking into consideration that such a course should be tailor-made to the local students' needs with courses focusing on the Mauritian context. There was also the feedback from the Academic Council including that of two experts who found the course structure appropriate for Mauritius

Power games and their history in the Indian Ocean: A Mauritian perspective

This paper aims to discuss the situation of Mauritius in the post-colonial geopolitical configuration of the Indian Ocean. The island nation, a former British colony that has been independent since 1968, is today confronted with geopolitical issues that place it within a dilemma. Its recent allegiance with India, through preferential trade partnership, makes claiming sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago which was part of its territory before independence complicated. There is in an ongoing conflict with Great Britain and, indirectly, the United States on this contentious issue. At the same time, Mauritius needs to consider China’s influence in the region since it partners with most of the independent nations on matters of economic development. Mauritius itself has established an important trading platform through Chinese assistance. Concurrently, the Mauritian relationship with the United States cannot be compromised as it has been the major trading partner since 1794 with an embassy established in 1968. Hence, trapped between economic ties from all the partners engaged in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius strives to maintain its neutrality, while also being obliged to accept that its location, size and influence might not be enough to contest against past and emerging superpowers. To this end, the power games remain as complex as ever in the Indian Ocean when seen from a Mauritian perspective.Este artículo discute la situación de Mauricio en la configuración geopolítica poscolonial del océano Índico. Este Estado insular fue primero una colonia británica y obtuvo su independencia en 1968. En esa época, el archipiélago de Chagos, que hacía parte del territorio de la isla, fue extirpado de Mauricio. Después de la independencia, Mauricio se enfrentó continuamente a la Guerra Fría entre Occidente y la antigua Unión Soviética, al tiempo que pedía la descolonización del archipiélago sobre el cual Mauricio afirma tener soberanía. En el contexto actual, existe una nueva configuración geopolítica que ha visto el surgimiento de países en desarrollo como China e India como nuevas naciones emergentes que buscan ejercer influencia tanto militar como económica en la región. En lo que concierne a China, hay un gran avance con el desarrollo del Cinturón Marítimo de la Seda, mientras India persigue el sueño de mantener el poder en un océano que lleva su nombre. Desde la perspectiva mauriciana, aún queda el objetivo de terminar con la descolonización de Chagos, mientras se enfrenta a la influencia de las nuevas potencias que dominan el contexto geopolítico actual. También existe el problema para Mauricio de mantener lazos políticos con potencias emergentes como China e India, al tiempo que mantiene sus relaciones históricas con Occidente. El nuevo paradigma, en consecuencia, establece un argumento complejo en la nueva configuración geopolítica

THE IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL PLACEMENT ON STUDENTS’ EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

This research aims at assessing the impact of industrial placement on students’ employability skills in the tertiary education sector in Mauritius. Long-time neglected and considered as accessory to academic learning, industrial placement is nowadays a necessity for this category of students. In a competitive world where there needs be a suitable match between employment skills and job demands, industrial placement is rightly considered as a stepping stone to the forthcoming work-life career of the individual. The research states that students undergoing industrial placement in suitable companies learn the various skills and techniques in a job environment, gain greater confidence and maturity prior to embarking on a job. This study is limited to a sample of students from Université des Mascareignes that has formalised such training using an established methodology and framework to assess students. It is clearly approved that industrial placement is relevant in tertiary academic learning in that it bridges the gap between school and the immediate work environment

Research for all, an initiative to promote research in the Mauritian society

At a time when leaders are globally discussing of the impact of climate change on the environment, it has become a necessity for strategists to think of democratising research to enable the wider community to get opportunities to undertake and participate in research. Very often, this aspect is dismissed and the lack of citizen involvement in research leaves a majority as users of models prescribed by knowledgeable people. This paper addresses a broad concept "Research for All" with the intention of sensitising information on allowing the community to develop, create and contribute to research in a meaningful way since bright ideas sometimes come from the community and these are commercialised by researchers. The effort of the community is usually underestimated with biased thoughts like they are not deep enough to be claimed as research but, in essence, have their contribution in society. The paper focus is on initiatives to democratise research and see how the wider community provides useful input to innovation, research and development

The evolution of industrial democracy in a small- island economy, Mauritius

ABSTRACT This research work concerns an evaluation of the Employment Relations Act 2008, ERA 2008, from its inception in 2008 up to the present date. Considered as a major revolution in industrial relations, the legislation has met with mitigated results. Firstly, trade unions have contested the legislation in terms of loopholes and inadequacies concerning employee protection. Secondly, the public including people at work are not fully knowledgeable of the legislation because of its complexities and numerous issues that are addressed but not looked into. The assessment of the ERA is seen from the perspectives of employee relations whereby it addresses better the pluralistic perspective since Mauritius, a small-island economy in the Indian Ocean, has maintained its cultural identity of democracy and alongside industrial democracy. The research emphasises that through amendments to the legislation, it is seen that employee relations must sound and dynamic to maintain the concept of industrial democracy and see that employees are better off with the ERA 2008 since it replaced the former Industrial Relations Act (1973)

Managing workplace diversity: A contemporary context

e-Book available, please log-in on Member Area to access or contact our librarian.Buku ini merupakan panduan yang membahas tentang manajemen keragaman di tempat kerja dengan fokus pada lingkungan global. Isi buku mencakup berbagai aspek keragaman di tempat kerja, seperti isu-isu gender, usia, generasi, kelas sosial, budaya, pekerja asing, ras, pekerja penyandang disabilitas, pekerja paruh waktu, LGBT, dan pekerja HIV/AIDS. Penulis menghadirkan contoh kasus nyata untuk mendukung konsep-konsep tersebut dan memberikan latihan berupa pertanyaan objektif dan esai di setiap bab untuk memperkuat pemahaman pembaca tentang manajemen keragaman.241 p. ; 23 cm