ISSUE No. 12: February
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 Interactive Session by Study Mauritius 2
4 Mauritius International University Career
and Job Expo at SVICC 2
5 MoU between Microsoft and Université
des Mascareignes 3
6 Handing Over Ceremony for the
Construction of new University Campus at
Montagne Blanche 3
7 UoM Alumni – Building the Future 4
8 Launching of Junior Mobile Science 2014 4
9 Science on the Move at Quartier Militaire 4
10 Caravane de la Science at Ebene SSS Girls 4
11 Courtesy Calls and Photo Gallery 5
EDITORIAL TEAM
Ms. Shaina Woodun
Mr. Nehrroy Seechurn
CONTRIBUTORS
Ms. B. Kamudu
Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre
EDITORIAL
Study Mauritius continues its outreach activities by
organizing interactive sessions for secondary students,
with a view to increase their knowledge of the tertiary
education sector and future career prospects.
The construction of a New University Campus at
Montagne Blanche starts!
The Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre kick-starts year 2014
with a series of activities to promote science and
technology.
Who is the ‘International Student of the month’? Find out
more in this edition!
Editorial Team
1
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Name: Patricia Khonje
Country of Origin: Malawi
Studies Enrolled: BSc Computer Science with
Network Security
Patricia Khonje
A. For how long have you been studying in
Mauritius? It’s been more than 1 year now.
B. How did you come to know about
Mauritius as a destination for tertiary
education? I had a friend who was already
studying here and she encouraged me to
pursue my studies in Mauritius. Information
I got from the website enabled me to
choose the correct course of study.
C. And how do you find life in Mauritius? I
have not been to many places yet, but I
really enjoyed going out and visiting the
cities. There is a language barrier on the
campus but overall it’s been nice.
D. Have you been going out for leisure since
you came? Not often but I go to church
every Sunday!
E. What is your favorite food? I love nsima
(local food), though the Mauritian biryani is
delicious.
F. If you could meet anyone in the world,
dead or alive, who would it be? Nelson
Mandela. Nothing can compare to listening
to him!
G. If you were stranded on a desert island,
what three items would you take with you?
1. Food
2. Books to read
3. My toothbrush
H. What is your most irritating habit? I tend to
think too much about unimportant things.
I. How do you handle stress and pressure as a
student? By listening to Gospel music.
J. How do you see yourself in 10 years,
professionally? As the manager of my own
IT company!
2
Interactive Sessions by Study Mauritius
The first interactive session of this year held on
18th February 2014 brought together students
from Loreto Convent, Rose-Hill, St Mary`s
College and La Confiance College. The resource
persons were Mrs. Y. Sibartie-Taukoor from
ACCA Mauritius and Ms. S. Issemdar from RT
Knits. Students were encouraged to ask
questions regarding career prospects.
Interactive sessions are organized on a regular
basis, with the collaboration of resource persons
from various industry sectors, for Lower VI
students since May 2013 to create awareness
about educational and career prospects in key
and emerging sectors of the Mauritian economy.
Over 200 students from secondary schools have
participated in these interactive sessions.
Secondary schools interested to participate in
forthcoming ones are invited to contact the
Study Mauritius Office by phone 454-7112 or
email [email protected].
The Mauritius International University Career
and Job Expo at SVICC
The annual Mauritius International University
Career and Job Expo organized by Rotary Club of
Grand Baie was held at SVICC Pailles on 15th to
17th February 2014. Some 80 institutions from
various countries such as USA, Canada, China,
Malaysia, Australia, Reunion, France, UK and
India were present.
The event provided a proper forum for students
to obtain guidance and advice to enable them to
make the right career choice..
The opening of the event was held on 14th
February 2014 by the Hon. Dr. R. Jeetah,
3
Minister of Tertiary Education, Science,
Research and Technology.
MOU between Microsoft & Université des
Mascareignes
A memorandum of understanding was signed
between Microsoft Indian Ocean Islands Ltd and
Université des Mascareignes on 20th February
2014 in the presence of the Honourable Minister
of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and
Technology Dr. R. Jeetah.
Paul Bunting, the Country Manager of Microsoft
and Mrs F. Driver, Chairperson of the Board at
the University agreed to a partnership to
facilitate access to the latest, innovative and
sophisticated software at an affordable price.
The collaboration will also enable students and
academic staff to be well versed with those
software.
The MoU will enable the university to dispense
high quality IT courses, its academic staff to be
trained on the latest Microsoft tools. Students
will also be able to benefit from this training by
paying a small fee. This will open new avenues
for research in different fields and will also
create a paradigm shift in the tertiary education
sector.
Handing over Ceremony of the site for the
construction of the New Montagne Blanche
University Campus
Construction work for the University Campus at
Montagne Blanche started on 28th February
2014.
With a land area of 50 arpents, the University
campus will have a 7 floor building with a total
area of 4950 m2.
4
UoM Alumni: Building the Future
Alumni are fundamental to the life of
universities as they encourage the participation
of members in the growth and development of
the University. The University of Mauritius held
a special event entitled "UoM Alumni - Building
the Future" on Thursday 13th February 2013 at
The CORE located at Ebène which now forms
part of the campus of the University of
Mauritius.
Launching of Junior Mobile Science 2014
The Junior Mobile Science, is a new initiative of
the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre, which aims at
demystifying Science and Technology for
Primary School Pupils. It consists of a series of
mobile interactive exhibits tailor-made for
primary school pupils of standard IV, V and VI.
The first edition of Junior Mobile Science was
held at M. Parsad Government School, Piton on
20 and 21 February 2014.
Science on the Move at Quartier Militaire
The Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre was present at
the Quartier Militaire Post Office on Friday 06
February 2014 for the ‘Science on the Move’.
This science-based activity is a travelling
exhibition destined for the public to have the
opportunity to conduct experiments by
interacting with staff.
Caravane de la Science at Ebene SSS Girls
The first ‘Caravane de la Science’ was held at
Ebene SSS Girls on Thursday 13 and Friday 14
February 2014.
‘Caravane de la Science’ is a set of science
activities comprising of demonstrations, talks
and exhibitions aiming at triggering the
enthusiasm of students for Science Subjects.
The opening ceremony was held in the presence
of Dr the Hon R. Jeetah, Minister of Tertiary
Education, Science, Research and Technology.
5
Courtesy Calls and Photo Gallery
Meeting with representatives of Harvard
Business School
Open Day at UoM
Meeting with Middlesex International
Students Association Mauritius (MISAM)
6
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