Le Mauricien:

Campus Abroad Mauritius

Compétition de quiz nationale

Campus Abroad Mauritius Ltd, organisme conseillant ceux désireux de poursuivre leurs études tertiaires en Grande-Bretagne sur divers aspects de la vie de l'étudiant dans le pays, organise pour la première fois une compétition de quiz au niveau national.

Campus Abroad Mauritius Ltd est une agence de recrutement prodiguant conseils aux jeunes intéressés à entreprendre des études en Angleterre. Cette compétition de quiz, selon l'agence organisatrice, a pour but de raviver chez les collégiens leur fibre créatrice et d'être une forme de préparation intellectuelle en vue de leurs examens du HSC.

Quelque 15 établissements secondaires se sont inscrits à cette compétition dont le collège Maurice Curé, le collège Lorette de Port-Louis, Northfields International School et les collèges Royal de Curepipe et de Port-Louis.

La finale est prévue le 5 juillet à l'hôtel Le Labourdonnais Waterfront et a été précédée d'une demi-finale et d'un quart de finale. Cette compétition a reçu le parrainage de plusieurs universités étrangères dont celle de Kent, Glamorgan, London Metropolitan, la School of International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Switzerland and Vishwakarma Institute of Management and Informations Technology, Mauritius. Les organisations locales Kaira Mauritius et Mecatronics Ltd ont également apporté leur contribution au niveau des prix.

Les trois équipes gagnantes se verront récompenser respectivement des sommes de Rs 15 000, Rs 10 000 et Rs 5 000.

L'express:

1. Eight British universities from all regions of the United Kingdom are present at the education fair organised by the British Council. Among them, some famous ones like Cardiff, Kent, London Metropolitan and Middlesex. This fair will be on until tomorrow from 9 am till 3 pm. Each university has its representative to explain and to give information about its facilities, such as subjects offered, application proce- dures, living conditions and fees.

Apart from those eight stands, there is one for the South East Asian Bank, a co-sponsor of the fair. It will give information to those who need loans to finance their studies abroad. “It is not always easy to find funds if you are going to study in England. We are here to help those people who need information on how to finance their studies. We even propose to finance their studies at 100% under some conditions”, explained Doodassen Caullee, the project manager of South East Asian Bank.

Most of the representatives arrived last week. Some have already noticed several aspects of our country like the mentalities of the people. Professor Richard Lewis from the faculty of Law of Cardiff University was impressed by the desire of youngsters to learn: “I have been here only a few days, but already I can see how friendly and eager to study young Mauritians are.” Cardiff is currently rated as the 7th best university in the UK. So far, only one Mauritian student is studying there. But Professor Lewis would really like the number to increase. He says: “We want Mauritian people to see how good our university is and the facilities it offers.”

Most youngsters came with the aim of interacting with the representatives of the universities. Each representative is assisted by an employee of Campus Abroad to facilitate the interaction. Furthermore, some are not employees, but ex-students of those Universities. The aim of the representatives is to document the youngsters and motivate them to come and study in their university. In other words, youngsters can more easily interact with them. Priya and Vishma, two students from Maurice Curé and Queen Elizabeth College respectively were delighted with the information they got. They said: “We have always been interested in going abroad. The information we have managed to get on the Internet was not enough. Now that we have seen the university representatives, we feel more confident and more documented.”

Yesterday around 65 students attended. Paul Chellakumar, chairman of all the branches of Campus Abroad, is extremely satisfied. It is the first time a fair has been organized solely for UK universities. According to him, the aim is to promote education in Great Britain. 2,500 Mauritian students study in England every year. According to research, this number increases every year by 15 to 20%. The chairman of the Mauritian branch of Campus Abroad, Ramduth Jaddoo is also pleased with the success of the event.

Article publié le Mardi 10 octobre 2006

Set up almost six years ago in Mauritius under the chairmanship of Ramduth Juddoo, Campus Abroad did not take long to find sucess. It is already expanding into Africa. Joint ventures are being worked out in eight different countries - Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.

The branches will be run by Mauritians but local people from these countries will work within each branch. “The aim of setting up those branches is to provide the appropriate and required structure for youngsters who live there, as they do not have such facilities”, says Seshadri Jayasankar, Director of Campus Abroad in Mauritius.

Moreover, plans are also afoot to set up a language laboratory in the Mauritian branch to attract students from Africa to study in Mauritius. The director explains: “A few weeks ago, I was in Africa. I found out there is a huge demand for learning English from countries like Rwanda and Burundi. With the language laboratory we are trying to set up in Mauritius, we are planning to attract students from those countries to come and follow a one-year intensive programme in English. Mauritius will be the ideal location for this programme as the students, who are French-speaking will have no adaptation problems. The programme will also generate valuable foreign exchange for the country.”

This idea seems to have been successful so far regarding the students who intend to go to China. Indeed, Mandarin classes are already given once a week for two hours to a group of 30 students who are going this year. All 30 are going to study medicine.

For Seshadri Jayasankar, this course is essential for the their adaptation. He relates: “Although the course will be totally in English in the Chinese universities those youngsters are going to, they need at least a basic knowledge of the national language there.” He continues: “We are offering them this Mandarin tuition for free as we feel they need to know at least a few words of Mandarin words in order to be able to settle down.”

Initially, Campus Abroad was representing universities in the UK and India; however, the base has gradually widened to include institutions from other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Switzerland, Singapore and China.

Interaction with students and parents

Campus Abroad provides a whole range of services including counselling, online filling in of applications, visa guidance, help with accommodation, travel arrangements and follow-up on student performance. An online browsing service is available at the office to help students and parents access information and make decisions. Open days are organised regularly at which representatives of the universities are present and interact directly with students and their parents. This helps to ease parents’ minds as most of their doubts are clarified by the visiting representative. Campus Abroad sends around 100 Mauritian students abroad every year.

The company is licensed by the ministry of Education in Mauritius. It is also registered with QISAN (Quality International Study Abroad Network), the worldwide quality regulatory body for educational counselling and consulting. Campus Abroad is also a member of the European Association for Internatio-nal Education.

Article publié le Mardi 10 juillet 2007

“I wonder why so many talented Mauritians want to settle abroad”

“It has now been almost nine years since I moved from India to come here. As an expatriate, it is quite sad to note that so many talented Mauritians are leaving the country and settling abroad. I meet people from all walks of life on a daily basis who express a strong desire to go abroad and settle there as they do not see a future for their children in Mauritius. We often wonder why anyone should leave this beautiful island and go elsewhere. In addition to the physical beauty of Mauritius, I believe there are enough workplaces to exploit those talents. Of course, one can say that there are not enough opportunities and openings in Mauritius. I disagree with this as Mauritius is becoming a country full of opportunities.

On the other hand, there are many places occupied by foreigners. I wonder why those places are not simply filled by Mauritians themselves. There is a tremendous pool of human resource talents available in this country and if the government and private sector can make judicious use of this talent, Mauritius can certainly be propelled into the league of developed nations.

The Government should take steps to attract Mauritians living abroad to come back and work here. Obviously, incentives should be offered to them to make it worthwhile.

We had this problem in India many years ago but now the trend has reversed and we find more and more Indians living abroad wanting to come home. I am sure over a period of time there will be a similar situation in Mauritius.

Finally I would like to say that, according to me, those who live the country would definitely like to come back some day. Your home country is your country after all. I am sure they would think this way. Even I would like to go back to India one day or another as it is my country!”

Article publié le Mercredi 18 juillet 2007

“My aim is to have a career in computing after school. So I have to find a good University that best suits me. This is why I am here today,” explains Varsha Rengha, from Queen Elizabeth College. This girl, currently on holiday, is sitting for her HSC exams next year. Just like most girls about to complete their HSC, Varsha already has one eye on the path she will choose after school. Last Saturday, she was one of many students who had decided to go and have a look at a range of eight universities, which had their stalls at Labourdonnais Hotel. “When you are a prospective student, you tend to ask yourself many questions on issues such as fees, facilities and accommodation and also on the qualifications required. I often spend hours on the Internet searching out information on studies abroad. Nevertheless, I find it better when the chance is given to interact with representatives of universities. It is a great opportunity to have a face-to-face interaction.”

The fair ended yesterday afternoon. All eight universities represented were from the United Kingdom. The most famous ones being Kent University, Essex University, London Metropolitan University and Middlessex University. There was also a Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) stand responding to queries concerning loans and financial issues.

The event began with speeches from different personalities - the newly appointed acting Chief Technical Officer of the ministry of Education, Dan Dansighani, Paul Chellakumar, the chairman of all branches of Campus Abroad and Ramduth Jaddoo, the chairman of the Mauritian branch. H.B Dansighani spoke about his delight at seeing the university representatives to clarify any doubts in the minds of those who want to study abroad. Furthermore, he added that ministries will now watch very strictly and closely for any unlicensed agencies which may be operating illegally to protect Mauritian students.

After this fair organized solely for British universities, the question that remains is whether the increased exchange rate has had an impact on the 2,500 Mauritian students studying in England every year. According to recent statistics, this number is still rising every year by 15 to 20%. According to Rajeshwari Jayasankar, quality speaks for itself. “Mauritius is a small market, but an important one for British universities. Although I may concede that the trend has slightly changed regarding students going abroad, a lot of Mauritians still go to UK universities. I believe it is because of the international recognition of their certificates.”

Article publié le Mardi 20 novembre 2007