MAURITIUS: Island to open first French language university

The Mauritian government has announced the opening this year of the Indian Ocean island’s first French language university, to be called Université des Mascareignes, with the help of France’s University of Limoges.

The French university's President Hélène Pauliat met Mauritian Minister of Tertiary Education Rajesh Jeetah earlier this month to sign a memorandum of understanding on the project.

Mauritius has positioned itself in recent years to be a regional knowledge hub. Higher education reforms are under way, new universities and campuses are being built and the government is working to attract 100,000 international students by 2020.

Université des Mascareignes will join a long list of private foreign tertiary institutions opening branches in Mauritius.

Some 66 overseas institutions and examination bodies are now operating locally, 36 of them from the UK, eight from France-Réunion, eight from India, five from Australia, four from South Africa, two each from Malaysia and the United States, and one from Sudan.

The management of the University of Limoges, said the ministry, will assist local authorities in setting up a French-based teaching and good governance system for the new institution.

Université des Mascareignes plans to adopt the ‘LMD’ (licence-master-doctorate) system based on Europe’s Bologna reforms.

To start with it will operate three faculties: engineering and sustainable development, information technology and communication, and management and economics. More faculties will be set up in the coming years.

A total of 26 diplomas will be made available to students. On completing their studies, graduates will receive two qualifications – one from the University of Limoges and one from Université des Mascareignes.

The Mauritian government aims to attract about 900 students for the 2013 intake.

Rajesh Jeetah, who recently attended National Science Week, declared that the government was determined to make Mauritius a knowledge hub.

“An amount of Rs810 million (US$26 million) has been allocated by government for the construction of three new and modern campus buildings. Government also intends building a planetarium at Pamplemousses," he declared.