Mauritius

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Mauritius in a nutshell

Source : http://www.cia.gov

Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres (560 mi) east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands, with the French island of Réunion 200 km (120 mi) to the southwest and the island of Rodrigues 570 km (350 mi) to the northeast.

The island of Mauritius is renowned for having been the only known home of the dodo. First sighted by Europeans around 1600 on Mauritius, the dodo became extinct less than eighty years later.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritius

Education in Mauritius

The education system in Mauritius reflects the country’s status as a former British colony, and bears resemblance to that of Britain.

School-level education

Primary Level Starting age five, primary level education lasts for six years and culminates in the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE). The CPE is a national examination and consists of five compulsory subjects: English, French, Mathematics, Science, and History and Geography.

Secondary Level Lasting for seven years, children enter secondary education on completion of the CPE. English, French, Mathematics, Sciences and Social Studies (including Geography and History) are compulsory, though for the first three years there is no national curriculum as teaching is directed by the level of the students. O-levels and A-levels are taken, administered by the University of Cambridge International Examinations. [1]

Further and Higher education

Universities in Mauritius

1. University of Mauritius
2. SSR Medical College
3. University of Technology, Mauritius

" . . . an estimated 35 private institutions and 50 overseas institutions/bodies are presently delivering tertiary-level programmes, mostly in niche areas like Information Technology, Law, Management, Accountancy and Finance. A majority of these private institutions operate on a part-time basis, in the evenings, weekends and on some weekdays with relatively small student cohorts. Most, if not all, of the programmes are those of overseas institutions." [2]

Polytechnics in Mauritius

1. Swami Dayanand Institute of Management (formerly Droopnath Ramphul Polytechnic).
2. Institut Superieur de Technologie (formerly Institut Polytechnique de Rose-Hill).

ICT in education initiatives

Virtual initiatives in post-secondary education

Mauritius College of the Air (MCA)

"The Mauritius College of the Air was established in 1971 as an organisation under the Ministry of Education. It was re-enacted in 1985 to provide for the merger of the Audio-Visual Centre of the Ministry of Education. It is defined as a tertiary education institution under the schedule of the Tertiary Education Commission Act of 1988. The MCA is administered by a Board which is advised by an Advisory Council. The object of the college is to promote education, arts, science and culture generally through mass media and distance education methods. [3]

Cyber Caravan

Initiated in 2000, the cyber caravan project is designed to meet the needs of isolated communities by offering them access to ICT, and awareness and literacy sessions. Two caravans have been equipped with nine and ten pcs with internet access. [4]

"The cyber caravan is essentially a converted coach with a dozen or so connected PCs, and it is lending a new twist to the idea of the mobile internet. Its main aim is to get the disenfranchised online - from housewives to agricultural labourers who are experiencing technology often for the first time." [5]

The Virtual Centre for Innovative Learning Technology (VCILT)

The Virtual Centre for Innovative Learning Technology (VCILT) hosted the 2003 International Conference on Open and Online Learning (ICOOL 2003) in partnership with, among others, the Commonwealth of Learning, the University of La Reunion, Hewlett Foundation, and UNESCO.

VCILT has also developed iLearn, a method for delivering online modules, support for class-based lessons, and training programmes for lifelong learning. To support the management of learning activities, iLearn also offers a range of tools such as a forum, self-assessment, assignments, submission box facilities, bookmark-gathering, sharing of private space, and a test centre to assess students on modules. The platform allows individuals across borders to communicate and share knowledge and experience from anywhere at anytime through the Internet. [6] [7]

References

There is a great deal of useful information at http://www.wikieducator.org/Mauritius

"The first online course delivered in Mauritius" (2009) [8]

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