"University of Mauritius engagement in Sustainable Development: paving the way for SIDS"

 

Mauritius, commonly referred to as the star and key of the Indian Ocean, strategically located between Asia and Africa, has experienced a rapid progress in its short history, starting with an agricultural-centred economy to develop key sectors such as textile, financial services, IT and tourism, and looking ahead to capitalising on emerging opportunities in blue economy and green solutions. The last decade has seen an increased focus on sustainability in both private and public sector projects aiming to restore and preserve the fragile ecosystems of Mauritius. The University of Mauritius, being the prime tertiary education, training and research institute of Mauritius, with the mandate to form professionals for these diversified sectors, has systematically integrated sustainability throughout the curricula of degree programmes so that our graduates are ready to apply the skills and knowledge underpinning sustainable development. The University has also developed master programmes to offer education and training in specialised areas for industry professionals, both locally and regionally.

 

The University has been able to bring about the transformation in learning outcomes to meet the challenges and requirements of the local and regional economic environments by working closely with stakeholders. The University places heavy emphasis on this industry-university liaison in coming up with courses and programmes supporting education for sustainable development. This exercise has allowed the university to forecast future needs of the local and regional economies, both in existing and emerging sectors. The university intends to further empower students by engaging them in cross-disciplinary projects through assignments in modules and competitions at university level, paralleling the team skills and competences needed in real projects, namely the social, environmental and economic considerations in conjunction with the technical aspects. This should bring together students from different faculties instead of just departments within a given faculty to work on a common project.