Internationalisation of Tertiary Education in Mauritius – Current State,

Future Plans and Challenges

Professor Goolam Mohamedbhai

Former Vice Chancellor of University of Mauritius

ABSTRACT

In 2005, a proposal was made to develop Mauritius into a Knowledge Hub and a Centre of

Higher Learning, the foremost rationale being to reposition Mauritius to meet the needs of an

increasingly competitive, knowledge-based and globalised economy. The main strategies to

be used are strengthening the existing public tertiary education institutions, attracting

foreign students, and encouraging the setting up of local private universities and branch

campuses of internationally renowned universities. Subsequently, in its 2007-2011 Strategic

Plan, the Tertiary Education Commission mentions its mission as to “position Mauritius in

the Region as a world-class Knowledge Hub and the gateway for post-secondary education”.

Internationalisation of tertiary education is therefore a key economic development strategy

for Mauritius. There is, however, a dearth of well-documented information on the

internationalisation activities of tertiary education institutions in Mauritius and, in 2006, a

survey was therefore carried out to determine these activities. The main results of that survey

are presented and some of the major changes that have taken place in tertiary education in

Mauritius since 2005 are reviewed. The challenges that Mauritius will have to overcome in

implementing its national internationalisation strategy in tertiary education, especially in its

attempt to create a Knowledge Hub, are finally discussed.

Keywords: Mauritius; Tertiary Education Institutions; Internationalisation; Knowledge Hub.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This paper has drawn heavily on the chapter on “Mauritius” by the author in the book Higher

Education in Africa: the International Dimension [2].

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1 INTRODUCTION Until the end of the 20

th century, Mauritius, a small island sate with a population of about 1.2

million, had no explicit rationale or policy for internationalizing its tertiary education sector.

After independence in 1968, Mauritius consolidated its economy and the priority was to

produce the skilled manpower for staffing the public and private sector institutions, and for

supporting the main drivers of the economy, namely sugar production, manufacturing and

tourism. The University of Mauritius (UoM), which was set up as a developmental

university, played that role very well. The economy of Mauritius flourished and some of the

main factors which contributed to this were: a guaranteed price for sugar exported to Europe

under the Lome Convention1; availability of skilled and relatively cheap labour for

manufacturing textile apparel for export; and duty free and easy access to European markets

of manufactured garments, again under the Lome Convention.

At the end of the 20th

century, globalization and liberalization of international trade started to

have an impact on the economy of Mauritius. There were signs that a guaranteed sugar price

exported to Europe would gradually disappear, exports of manufactured garments to Europe

would have to be on a competitive basis, and the Multi-Fibre Agreement which restricted

imports to Europe and the US from the Asian countries, to the benefit of countries such as

Mauritius, would be dismantled. Also, the export products of Mauritius were becoming less

competitive because of the increase in labour cost, and the country could no longer compete

with rising giants such as India and China. It was realized that Mauritius would have to

manufacture up-market products, its industries would need to embrace high technology, and

it should move towards a services-driven economy. Mauritius had therefore to place greater

emphasis on producing a large pool of highly qualified personnel in order to remain

competitive in the knowledge-based and globalized economy. To achieve that objective, the

importance of a strategy to internationalise the tertiary education sector became imperative.

1 A trade agreement between Europe and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states, most of which were former

European colonies.

2 KNOWLEDGE HUB STRATEGY OF 2005 In the year 2000, the government of Mauritius came forward with a New Economic Agenda

whereby Mauritius would shift from traditional economic sectors to the service sectors. It

proposed to develop Mauritius into a Knowledge Hub. In 2005, a report was published by

the then Ministry of Education [1] which outlined bold measures on how this was to be

achieved. The report defined the Knowledge Hub as “an ‘ensemble’ of knowledge-intensive

institutions and organizations, public, private and overseas, involved to generate, store,

transfer, apply and transmit knowledge through education and training with the overall

objective of fostering economic and social development.” The report emphasized that the

tertiary education system would be regarded as the pillar of the Knowledge Hub.

The strategies proposed in the report for achieving the objective of creating the Knowledge

Hub were as follows:

a) The two public universities, UoM and University Technology, Mauritius (UTM), should

become reputable and international institutions to be able to attract international students.

Although they would continue to receive state support, they should also generate their own

funds.

b) Because of the importance of open and distance learning, both for Mauritius and for Sub-

Saharan Africa, the Mauritius College of the Air (MCA)2 would be transformed into the

Open University of Mauritius and would be bilingual in English and French.

c) The setting up of a limited number of quality private universities, operating independently

or in conjunction with overseas partners, would be encouraged.

d) Renowned brand name universities and institutions would be allowed to establish

branches/offshore campuses in Mauritius in selected disciplines. In order to ensure quality,

this would be done by invitation and operational criteria would be laid down.

e) The setting up of Regional Training Centres would be promoted in identified areas. These

would include Financial Services, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Teacher Education

and Aircraft Maintenance/Repairs and Overhaul Services.

2 A centre for the production and dissemination of educational audio-visual materials for broadcasting to primary

and secondary schools but which incorporates a Distance Education Division that runs undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

f) In view of the specificity and acquired expertise of Mauritius, institutions would be

encouraged to provide training in languages, to offer textile sector services and provide

education and training consultancy services.

g) An overarching and robust regulatory framework for tertiary education would be

established to cater for the operation of private institutions, for the setting up of branch

campuses of overseas universities, for ensuring quality of all tertiary education institutions in

Mauritius, and for the recognition and equivalence of qualifications.

h) An incentive scheme would be provided to attract leading foreign institutions to set up

offshore Education and Training Centres in Mauritius, either alone or with Mauritian

partners.

The above report was prepared under the aegis of the government that was in office from

2000-2005. A new government was elected in July 2005 and implementation of the report

got delayed. However, as will be outlined later, the main strategies for developing Mauritius

into a Knowledge Hub have been maintained.

3 SURVEY OF INTERNATIONALISATION OF TERTIARY EDUCATION

(2005) To implement the Knowledge Hub strategy, however, it is vital to have information on the

internationalisation activities of tertiary education institutions in Mauritius. In 2006 very

limited published information and data were available on such activities at national or even

institutional level. It was therefore decided to carry out a survey of all post-secondary

institutions in Mauritius. The survey questionnaire for private institutions sought information

on their ownership, on foreign students and staff and on programmes they run on behalf of

foreign institutions. The one for public institutions additionally enquired about collaborative

linkages with foreign institutions, membership of regional/international associations, the

international dimension of their curriculum and institutional policies and structures for

internationalization. The questionnaires were sent to all the 9 public and 36 private

institutions operating in Mauritius at that time, the data requested being for the year 2005 [2].

3.1 PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

The 9 public institutions are: 2 universities, the UoM and the UTM; 2 institutes, the Mauritius

Institute of Education (MIE) and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI) – the latter runs

programmes in Indian studies and fine and performing arts; 2 polytechnics, the Swami

Dayanand Institute of Management and the Institut Superieur de Technologie; the MCA; the

Industrial and Vocational Training Board for technical and vocational courses; and the

Mauritius Institute of Health which runs national and regional training programmes for

medical practitioners and paramedical staff. Table 1 shows the student enrolment in the 9

institutions.

Table 1: Student Enrolment in Public Institutions in 2005 [3]

Institution Student Enrolment % of Total

University of Mauritius 6,650 49.6

University of Technology Mauritius 1,467 11.0

Mauritius Institute of Education 3,001 22.4

Mahatma Gandhi Institute 546 4.1

Mauritius College of the Air 356 2.7

Swami Dayanand Institute of Management 632 4.7

Institut Superieur de Technologie 329 2.5

Industrial & Vocational Training Board 385 2.9

Mauritius Institute of Health 31 0.2

Total 13,397 100.1

3.2 PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS

The majority of the 36 private institutions had fairly small student cohorts (30-200), although

a couple of them had student enrolment exceeding 1,000. Most of them offered their

programmes, mostly part-time, under franchise agreement with overseas institutions. Three of

the institutions have a strong regional/international focus: a) The SSR Medical College, a

private Indian institution which runs degrees in medicine and dentistry under an affiliation

with the UoM. b) The Mauras College of Dentistry, a similar private Indian institution but

affiliated to the University of Bhavnagar in India. c) The Institut de la Francophonie pour

l’Entrepreneuriat (IFE), which runs a postgraduate diploma in entrepreneurial studies mainly

for foreign students.

No precise figures of enrolment in the private institutions were available. From a record of

the 40 overseas institutions and examining bodies providing tertiary education in Mauritius

[3], a total enrolment of 8,110 was arrived at. This figure, however, includes students who

followed distance education courses with overseas institutions on their own.

3.3 STUDENTS STUDYING OVERSEAS

Every year, over 2,000 students leave Mauritius for studying in overseas higher education

institutions, and this figure has been steadily increasing in recent years. In 2005, there were

7,357 students pursuing tertiary education studies abroad [3]. The four countries with the

highest number of students were France, India, UK and Australia, together accounting for

87% of Mauritian students overseas. This is a very significant figure, representing 34% of

students studying in Mauritius, and is greater than the number of students enrolled at the

UoM in 2005.

3.4 SURVEY RESPONSE

All the 9 public institutions responded, and 18 of the private ones returned their completed

questionnaire.

The SSR Medical College and the Mauras College of Dentistry did not respond to the survey.

They are owned by private Indian trusts. Statistics were not available but it was estimated that

the SSR Medical College had about 400 students and the Mauras College about 150. In both

cases roughly 60-70% of the students were from India and the remainder mostly from

Mauritius, with a few from Africa. Almost all their teaching staff were from India.

IFE did respond. It was set up by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), and

runs an 18-month full-time postgraduate diploma in entrepreneurship, with an intake of 35-40

students from nearly 20 Francophone countries from Africa and south-east Asia. Although

the diploma is awarded by the AUF, IFE has agreements with University of Bordeaux and

University of Paris in France which enable successful candidates to obtain a Master’s degree

from these universities at the same time.

The remaining 33 private institutions were similar in that they all ran programmes for other

foreign institutions under franchise agreement. Some of them were linked to a single

institution whereas others ran programmes from several institutions in more than one country.

The programme level ranged from Master’s to Bachelor’s degree to diploma and certificate,

in some cases all run in the same institution. The foreign institutions were universities or

professional associations or private institutions. The method of course delivery was usually

face-to-face lectures, supplemented by print materials (often Distance Education) from the

foreign institution, and tutorials.

Table 2 summarises the response received from both the public and private institutions with

respect to full-time foreign students and staff and academic mobility. It should be

emphasized that in all cases the figures are indicative. The figures for the private institutions

do not include figures from the SSR Medical College and the Mauras College of Dentistry

which, together, had the largest number of foreign students (estimated at 300-400) and staff

in Mauritius

Table 2: Foreign Students/Staff and Mobility of Students/Staff in Tertiary Education Institutions in

Mauritius, 2005 [2]

Public Institutions

Private Institutions*

Students

Total enrolment 13,397 4,368

Foreign 82 61

Inward mobility 35 -

Outward mobility 31 -

Academic Staff

Total full-time staff 769 85

Foreign 12 5

Inward mobility 89 -

External Examiners 92 -

Outward mobility (short stay) 57 -

Outward mobility (long stay) 14 - * 18 institutions, excluding SSR Medical & Mauras Dentistry Colleges

What is striking from Table 2 is the very low number of foreign students in the institutions,

whether public or private. Foreign students represent only about 0.6% of total enrolment in

public institutions. Half of the foreign students in private institutions in Table 2 were from

IFE.

Clearly the tertiary education institutions in Mauritius are missing out on an important

element of internationalisation of tertiary education. The number of foreign students coming

to Mauritius for short periods of study, as well as the number of Mauritian students

proceeding to overseas institutions on study exchange programmes, are also very low.

Mauritius being a small island state, it is desirable for some Mauritian students to have the

opportunity to be exposed to another part of the world. The main stumbling block for

outward mobility appeared to be finance.

The number of full-time foreign academic staff in the various institutions was also very low.

Only about 1.5% of the teaching staff in public institutions were foreigners. While all public

institutions received quite a significant number of visiting academics for short periods, the

latter’s contribution can only be limited. A reasonable number of foreign faculty staff in an

institution can be very effective in creating an international culture in that institution, in

addition to bringing their foreign expertise.

External examination is undertaken in almost all the public institutions, as can be seen from

the fairly large number in Table 2. All final year degree examinations of almost all the

institutions are externally examined. External examiners are drawn from the UK, Africa,

India, Australia and even Canada and the US. External examination plays an important role

in giving an international dimension to the programmes, in ensuring quality and also in

exposing local staff to recent international developments in their respective fields through

talks and lectures. All the institutions follow the semester system of the academic year, the

programmes are modularised and almost all the modules of the various programmes are

assigned credits as per international norms. Good graduates of public institutions of

Mauritius have no difficulty in being admitted to postgraduate programmes of some of the

best universities in UK, France, India and USA.

Almost all the public institutions had links with overseas institutions, either for curriculum

development, mobility of staff and students or for advice on academic/administrative matters.

Most of the links reported were for mobility or teaching, and most of them were with British,

French, Australian and Indian institutions. Relatively few collaborative links for research

were reported. Based on information from the survey, Table 3 shows the various types of

linkages in the public institutions. The number of networks and associations to which the

institutions belong are also indicated.

Table 3: Number and Types of Linkages and Membership of Networks and Associations in Public

Institutions, 2005 [2]

Links/Networks/Associations Number

Staff/student exchange 21

Administration of joint degrees 10

Research 7

Membership of networks 16

Membership of associations 23

Although most of the institutions reported not having a policy on internationalization, they

were clearly quite active in the field. This is perhaps because the initiative for international

activities is left to individual staff. No institution had a well-structured international office

and, generally, no specific budget was allocated for internationalisation, although some

institutions made financial provision for the visits of external examiners and other short-term

visitors. For international activities to really take off in the institutions, a pro-active approach

should be adopted, with activities identified, targets set and sufficient funds allocated.

4 DEVELOPMENTS SINCE 2005 Initially the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) had the mandate of planning, developing

and coordinating public tertiary education in Mauritius. In 2005 its governing legislation was

amended to extend its responsibilities to register and regulate the operation of private

institutions, including foreign branch campuses, and accredit their programmes.

Also, the Board of Investment in Mauritius, whose objective is to promote investment,

extended its numerous financial incentives and benefits to private tertiary education

institutions or branch campuses set up in Mauritius.

In TEC’s Strategic Plan 2007-2011 [4], its mission is given as ‘positioning Mauritius in the

region as a world-class Knowledge Hub and the gateway for post-secondary education’. One

of its goals is also to develop Open and Distance Learning (ODL) to increase access and

promote lifelong learning locally and regionally.

In 2010 a new Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology, separate

from the Ministry of Education, was created. In TEC’s latest report on participation in tertiary

education in 2009 [5], the creation of this new Ministry is mentioned as a commitment of

government’s drive to transform Mauritius into a Regional Knowledge Hub, the objectives

being to have at least one graduate in each household and to attract 100,000 foreign students

by the year 2020.

Since 2005, two new public institutions have been created, the Fashion and Design Institute

affiliated to the UTM and the Rabindranath Tagore Institute affiliated to the MGI, but both

have very few students at present. The number of private institutions has increased from 36 to

50. From the list published in the TEC 2010 report, although a few are mentioned as branch

campuses, none appears to be associated with any “renowned brand name institution” as was

expected in the 2005 Knowledge Hub report. However, a branch campus of Middlesex

University (UK) has started operation in 2010, and it is reported [6] that well-known foreign

institutions like Birla Institute of Technology (India) and Limkokwing University (Malaysia)

are in the process of setting up branch campuses in Mauritius.

The major change that has occurred in the tertiary education sector from 2005 to 2009 is a

significant increase in student enrolment (see Table 4). The number of students studying

overseas has also significantly increased. The Gross Tertiary Enrolment Ratios (GTER),

defined as the number of students pursuing tertiary education expressed as a proportion of the

population aged 20-24, are also given in Table 4. Government’s plan is to increase the GTER

to 70% by 2015. TEC computes the GTER on the basis of total enrolment, including

Mauritian students studying overseas. Such a ratio does not, however, give a true reflection of

student enrolment in Mauritius. In Table 4, the GTER values calculated excluding overseas

enrolment are therefore also given.

Table 4: Increase in Enrolment from 2005 to 2009 [3]-[5]

Enrolment 2005 2009 % increase

Public Institutions 13,397 19,406 44.8%

Private Institutions/Distance Education 8,110 10,663 31.4%

Overseas Institutions 7,357 10,939 48.7%

Total Enrolment 28,864 41,008 42.1%

GTER (total enrolment) 28.4% 43.4% -

GTER (excluding students studying overseas) 21.1% 31.8% -

The TEC 2010 report, for the first time, provides figures of foreign students studying in

Mauritius. The total number in 2009 was 476, roughly 1% of total enrolment. This figure is

more or less the same as was estimated for 2005. The bulk of foreign students (80%) continue

to study at the SSR Medical College, the Mauras College of Dentistry and IFE.

Also for the first time, the TEC 2010 report provides figures of students following

programmes by ODL (see Table 5). Clearly, the use of ODL in tertiary education is well-

established in Mauritius. Although Government has confirmed its intention of creating an

Open University of Mauritius, no plans for such an institution have yet been made public.

Table 5: Use of Open and Distance Learning in Mauritius (2009) [5]

Number of Students

In Public Institutions 4,454

In Private Institutions 538

Registered Directly with Overseas Institutions 3,352

TOTAL 8,344

5 CRITICAL ISSUES AND CHALLENGES In proposing to make Mauritius a Knowledge Hub, the government has recognized the

importance of transforming Mauritius into a knowledge-based economy, and the crucial role

that tertiary education plays in such an economy. The proposed strategy of significantly

increasing the tertiary education enrolment ratio, while at the same time attracting renowned

tertiary education institutions and a large number of foreign students to Mauritius over the

next decade, is laudable. However, such a strategy poses many challenges and needs to be

carefully implemented. For example, increasing the GTER to 70% by 2015 implies

increasing student enrolment by about 5,000 per year over the next five years. This is a huge

challenge considering that over the past five years the student enrolment has increased, on

average, by 3,000 a year. Also, increasing enrolment is but one objective; ensuring quality,

relevance and successful completion are as important.

5.1 STRENGTHENING THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

The 2005 Knowledge Hub report mentions that UoM and UTM must become reputable

regional and international institutions. However, it also mentions that there are competing

demands for public funds, that the universities would have to generate their own funds to

supplement the government grants and that government will rely heavily on domestic private

sector and overseas brand name institutions to achieve its objective. Indeed, the 2011 budget

and the estimated 2012 and 2013 budgets for the tertiary education sector [7] show that the

recurrent grants allocated to all public institutions would gradually be reduced. This could

have serious repercussion on the institutions, especially as the greatest enrolment has so far

taken place in the public institutions. Every country should endeavour to establish a strong,

quality public tertiary education sector while opening up to private institutions, local or

international. This was the strategy adopted by Singapore and Malaysia. Otherwise there is a

real danger that the presence of private and foreign institutions could weaken the public ones.

Both UoM and UTM are presently constrained in their expansion and progress by lack of

resources: physical, financial and human. There is a proposal to build a new university

campus to enable both institutions to accommodate some additional 8,000 students. It has

also been reported [8] that five new decentralised campuses will be built. Such initiatives will

go a long way towards alleviating the acute shortage of space on both campuses.

UoM is also constrained by the fact that it cannot charge tuition fees to its undergraduate

students because of government policy. UoM should be allowed to charge tuition fees,

otherwise it would be near to impossible for it to supplement the reduced government grant.

The fact that UTM, also a publicly-funded university, is allowed to charge undergraduate

tuition fees makes it a stronger case for UoM to follow the same path. Also, both universities

have their staff salaries fixed by the national Pay Research Bureau, which does not give them

the leeway to attract the best Mauritian brains, let alone the best international professors.

Under such circumstances it would not be easy for UoM and UTM to become institutions of

international repute.

5.2 CREATING THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS

There is no doubt that wide use of ODL can significantly increase enrolment. However, the

proposal to convert the MCA into an Open University of Mauritius needs to be considered

with caution. Presently, the Distance Education Division of the MCA acts mainly as an

agency for distance education providers, mainly the Indira Gandhi National Open University

(IGNOU) of India. It really has limited academic and technical resources for producing its

own teaching materials, providing support to its students and arranging for their assessment.

It would require enormous resources to convert it into an Open University. The proposal is

viable only if the Open University could enrol a large number of regional and international

students. However, it is difficult to see how it can compete with such recognized and

established institutions as University of South Africa (UNISA) and IGNOU, both of which

already enrol a large number of Mauritian students.

5.3 FOREIGN STUDENTS

The proposal to increase the number of foreign students to 100,000 by 2020 is another major

challenge, considering that currently there are only about 500. So far most of the foreign

students are in private institutions. It is important for public universities, too, to attract them,

not only from an internationalisation perspective but also for income generation. However,

the public universities face many constraints. First, there is a big demand for seats on their

programmes from Mauritian students and the institutions, understandably, tend to give

preference to local applicants. Second, although Mauritius is bilingual in English and French,

the language of instruction in most institutions is English and, in particular, the system of

education is British-based. This makes it difficult to attract students from Francophone

countries such as the nearby La Reunion or Madagascar, or even from Africa. Third, as in

UK, tertiary education in Mauritius is structured around 13 years of schooling, whereas

students from Africa or Asia usually have 12 years of schooling. This might require a

preparatory year for foreign students. Finally, the public institutions do not have residential

facilities. The UoM is planning to put up a 100-room on-campus hall of residence. The

proposed new university campus, and decentralised campuses, should also make provision

for students’ residences. Since the programmes run by the public institutions in Mauritius are

modularized and the credit system is used, increasing the number of foreign students under

exchanges for one or two semesters may prove to be much easier.

5.4 DOMESTIC PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES AND FOREIGN BRANCH CAMPUSES

Most of the local private institutions act as agents for cross-border higher education providers

overseas, and it is not obvious that any of them has the capacity to operate as a full-fledged

university, mounting its own programmes, providing a quality teaching and learning

environment, undertaking research and awarding its own degrees. The number of students

registered with local private institutions has been steadily increasing in recent years and,

because of the large unmet demand for tertiary education and the generous incentives

provided by the Board of Investment, TEC will be under enormous pressure to allow even

more private, for-profit, business-oriented institutions to be set up. This could undermine the

Knowledge Hub strategy.

So far hardly any world repute universities have set up branch campuses in Mauritius.

Countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Qatar and South Korea are way ahead of

Mauritius in creating Knowledge Hubs or Education Cities; they have made heavy

investments, have attracted some renowned universities and offer a far greater market,

nationally or regionally, than Mauritius can. It is, however, undeniable that Mauritius offers

an exceptionally attractive environment, physically, socially and culturally, for international

higher education development. It is to be hoped that this, coupled with the proposed

incentives and the possibility of attracting continental African students, both Anglophone and

Francophone, can persuade international institutions to come to Mauritius.

5.5 MAURITIAN STUDENTS STUDYING OVERSEAS

The continuously increasing number of Mauritian students proceeding overseas every year

for higher education, either under scholarships or privately, requires urgent attention.

Although statistics are not available, it is believed that a significant number of them do not

return to Mauritius. Apart from the problem of a drain on the country’s foreign exchange,

brain drain from Mauritius is a matter of concern. It is often argued, using India as an

example, that there are long term benefits to a country when its highly qualified nationals

work abroad. However, such an argument is not valid for a small country like Mauritius,

where the pool of highly skilled people needed to spearhead the country’s development is

very small. The expansion and improved quality of the public institutions, as well as the

setting up of good private institutions and branch campuses of renowned universities would

provide better educational opportunities locally and that should help to stem the flow of

qualified students from Mauritius.

5.6 KEEPING RECORDS OF INSTITUTIONAL INTERNATIONALISATION

ACTIVITIES

The public institutions have established a plethora of linkages with foreign institutions and

regularly invite foreign academic staff to their campuses for teaching, research, examination

or advice. They also belong to regional and international networks and associations.

However, because of the lack of a proper institutional coordinating mechanism, most

institutions do not keep an accurate record of their rich internationalisation activities. It is

imperative that such a mechanism be set up in each institution. At the national level, TEC

should devise an appropriate instrument to collect institutional data of internationalisation

activities and have these compiled and published in much the same way that it publishes the

comprehensive data on student participation in tertiary education.

6 CONCLUSION Because of globalization, Mauritius is shifting its economic base to an increasingly

knowledge-based economy, which requires a large pool of highly skilled people. However,

the tertiary education participation rate is still low at present and needs to be significantly

increased. To meet this challenge, the government has proposed to make Mauritius a

Knowledge Hub. The strategy is to encourage the existing public universities to become

institutions of international standing, to facilitate the setting up of local, quality private

universities and to attract renowned foreign universities to set up branch campuses in

Mauritius. In implementing this strategy, the public institutions will have to be provided with

additional resources to ensure that they are not marginalized by the private and foreign ones.

If this bold strategy is successful, it can really transform the tertiary education scene in

Mauritius, making it one of the preferred destinations for tertiary education, not only for

Mauritian students but for international students as well. Tertiary education in Mauritius is,

indeed, at a cross-roads at the moment.

REFERENCES [1] Ministry of Education and Scientific Research. Developing Mauritius into a Knowledge Hub and a

Centre of Higher Education. Mauritius, 2005. Retrieved in January 2011 from

http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/educationsite/file/knowhub.pdf

[2] Goolam Mohamedbhai, “Mauritius”. A book chapter, pp. 262-301. Higher Education in Africa:

the International Dimension, edited by D. Teferra & J. Knight. ISBN 978-99-8858-940-9. Published

by Center for International Higher Education, Boston College and Association of African

Universities, August 2008.

[3] Tertiary Education Commission. Participation in Tertiary Education 2005. Mauritius, 2006.

[4] Tertiary Education Commission. Strategic Plan 2007-2011. Mauritius, 2007.

[5] Tertiary Education Commission. Participation in Tertiary Education 2009. Mauritius, 2010.

[6] Board of Investment (BOI). Mauritius. Retrieved in February 2011 from

http://www.investmauritius.com/Knowledge1.aspx

[7] Ministry of Finance (MOF). 2011 Programme Based Budget. Mauritius. Retrieved in February

2011 from http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/mof/PBB2011.pdf

[8] The Independent. Jeetah Identifies Campus Site. Retrieved in February 2011 from

http://theindependent.mu/2011/01/01/jeetah-identifies-campus-site/