In his address, the Prime Minister lauded the achievement of the laureates and acknowledged their efforts, sacrifice and hard work which he attributed to the support of their families and their respective academic institutions. He observed that each and every student should be given the opportunity to have access to tertiary education and recalled the historical measure he announced in his New Year message, namely free access to tertiary education in all public institutions as from this year.

Speaking about the opportunities to create more employability for the youth in the various economic sectors, Mr Jugnauth emphasised the need to ease accessibility in both academic and vocational institutions. He further underlined the requisite for Mauritius to embrace modernity with the latest technology and keep pace with the digital evolution in the wake of the upcoming challenges facing the world of work where focus is laid on block chain technology and artificial intelligence.

The Prime Minister appealed to students to avail of the facilities of free access to tertiary education and reiterated that tertiary education should be accessible to all children from every segment of the social ladder.

For her part, Minister Dookun-Luchoomun, commended the laureates for their accomplishment based on their efforts and perseverance as well as the students who have succeeded their HSC 2018 examinations with flying colours. She also conveyed her best wishes to students who will embark on the journey of tertiary education.

HSC 2018 Results

A total of 9408 candidates sat for the 2018 HSC examinations that is, 9 102 for Mauritius and 306 for Rodrigues, with 2 013 students competing for the State Scholarships. The pass rate for 2018 for the Republic of Mauritius totals to 74.9% as compared to 74.37% in 2017.

The number of laureates by school is as follows: Royal College Port Louis – 9; Queen Elizabeth College – 7; Royal College Curepipe – 7; Dr Maurice Curé State College – 6; Droopnath Ramphul State College – 4; Mahatma Gandhi Institute Moka– 2; Collège Du Saint Esprit – 1; Rajcoomar Gujadhur State Secondary School – 1; Sookdeo Bissondoyal State College – 1; John Kennedy College – 1; G.M.B Atchia State College – 1; Piton State College – 1; Rodrigues College – 3; and Marechal College – 1.    

Government offers 69 scholarships each year based on the HSC examinations.  A scholarship is also offered by the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) under the MCB Foundation Scholarship. 

Forty-five scholarships are offered purely on the basis of performance and merit.  Twenty-four additional scholarships are allocated on academic, merit and social criteria basis.  The list will be proclaimed after a selection exercise by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research and the Ministry of Social Security. Moreover, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research will launch a call for applications in the coming days for those eligible for the 24 scholarships.

This statement was made yesterday by the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis. As soon as the cyclone warning was removed in Rodrigues yesterday afternoon, Mr Jugnauth convened an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation. Following this meeting, the head of the government met the press to report on the decisions taken immediately to help Rodrigues.

He underlined that cyclone Gelena has caused considerable damage in Rodrigues. Its electrical grid has been damaged at 90% as well as crops, houses roads, and telecommunication network, he pointed out. Furthermore, 142 evacuees have left their damaged homes. He added that he has spoken with the Chief Commissioner, Mr Serge Clair, to express his solidarity and extend support to the population of Rodrigues as well as to monitor the situation.

The Prime Minister also announced that he will be heading to Rodrigues next week in the context of the pre-budget consultations. His visit, he said, will also allow him to assess in depth the extent of the damage caused by the cyclone on the island.

Mr Pravind Jugnauth added that once flight services are resumed with Rodrigues, a team from the Central Electricity Board and the Special Mobile Force will be deployed on the island for reparation of the electricity grid and other emergency works which need to be carried out.

Speaking about the mini tornado that occurred in Sebastopol on 8 February 2019, he underlined that several houses and other infrastructures have been damaged adding that Government will extend support to those who have been affected by this calamity.

The Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Premdut Koonjoo, the Minister of Housing and Lands, Mr Purmanund Jhugroo, the Commanding Officer of Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sarvekshak, Captain Peush Pawsey, and other personalities were also present.

In his address, the Minister Mentor highlighted that the event marks the completion of nautical surveys carried out by INS Sarvekshak since December 2018.  He expressed gratitude towards the Indian Government for its continued support in the conduct of hydrographic surveys in the Mauritian maritime zone as well as for the assistance extended to set up a Mauritian Hydrographic Unit.  Since 2009, recalled Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Indian Navy vessels have also been carrying out surveillance and joint patrolling of the Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as deterrence to piracy and illegal fishing.

The Minister Mentor observed that the last hydrographic survey for Rodrigues was undertaken more than 150 years ago.  Hence, he stated, the nautical charts that have been handed over will be of significant importance in charting out the development of Rodrigues.  Mauritius, he emphasised, is determined to make of the ocean economy a new pillar of wealth creation, and in this endeavour, hydrographic data will help Government to make the best decisions for the sustainable development of coastal and marine resources.

For his part, the Indian High Commissioner underlined that India is proud to be a partner in the efforts of Mauritius to develop hydrographic charts.  These charts will ensure safety with regards to maritime navigation in Mauritian waters and the EEZ, he pointed out.

According to Mr Lal, during, updated hydrographic surveys are critical for the development of various aspects for the sustainable development of the Mauritian economy.  A total of eight navigational charts and 10 electronic charts have been prepared to cover Mauritius and its islands since the start of Indo-Mauritian collaboration in this sector, he indicated.  The updated navigational charts will further contribute to the safety of stakeholders navigating in the region, he added.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity, and Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr Nazir Soobratty, and other personalities were present.  Experts from the BEA International Consultancy firm are the resource persons for the workshop.

In his address, Mr Soobratty highlighted that the workshop aims at finalising the inception report of the GHG Inventory under the first Biennial Update Report (BUR).  This process, he pointed out, is in line with the second decision of the 17^th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where developing countries were requested to prepare and submit a BUR every two years.

Mauritius, emphasised the Permanent Secretary, has therefore embarked on its first BUR which will cover figures for period 2014 to 2017. The scope of the BUR is to provide an update to the most recently submitted national communities while taking into account development priorities, objectives, capacities and national circumstances, he added.

Speaking about climate change, Mr Soobratty underlined that the country is undergoing a crucial phase with high intensity of short duration rainfall events becoming more frequent as well as an unprecedented series of warmest years between 2015 and 2018.  According to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, year 2019 may be yet another milestone as the warmest year on record largely as the result of a possible El Niño phenomenon, he indicated.

Hence in this conjuncture, stated the Permanent Secretary, urgent and concrete actions are required in terms of global greenhouse gas emission reduction.  Developed countries, he further stated, should assist developing countries in their attempt to improve their resilience and adaptation capacity to protect vulnerable communities.

On this score, Mr Soobratty called on stakeholders, both from the public and private sectors, to fully collaborate with the high calibre experts from the BEA International Consultancy firm, who will undertake the three key components of the BUR project.  These are: the GHG inventory, the mitigation assessment and the setting up of a Measuring, Reporting and Verification system.

The Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, made this declaration yesterday at a press conference in Port Louis in the presence of the Secretary to Governor, Haryana, Mr Vijay Singh Dahiya, IAS, and other personalities.

In this context, Minister Roopun spoke of a series of activities to be organised by the Kurukshetra Development Board, Haryana in collaboration with the Ministry of Arts and Culture, the Office of the President, the Indian High Commission in Mauritius and other socio-cultural associations. They are namely: Gita Sadbhavana Yatra, Gita Yagya and Gita Poojan, inauguration of exhibition and craft bazzar, and Gita seminars, amongst others.

Moreover, Minister Roopun observed that the International Gita Mahotsav, hosted for the first time outside India, is a matter of great pride and honour for Mauritius. The celebrations, he pointed out, will provide an opportunity to seekers to purity themselves and adopt the way of knowledge, action and devotion as preached by the Bhagwat Gita for liberation of the soul. He further dwelt on the message of the Bhagwat Gita which according to him, is a milestone in the philosophical history of the world. Traditionally it is believed that the message of Gita was delivered by Lord Krishna and since then, 5156 years have elapsed, he added.

The four-day festival will also witness cultural shows and spiritual events and Minister Roopun made an appeal to the population to participate actively in the celebrations.

For his part, the Secretary to Governor, Haryana, Mr Vijay Singh Dahiya, IAS, emphasised on the importance of the Bhagavad Gita which according to him remains the ultimate guide to humanity through the philosophy of Karma, that is, selfless work. As regards to Mauritius hosting the Gita Mahotsav, he underpinned that there can be no better partner country given that India and Mauritius share the same liberal values of democracy and culture, as well as the same values of tolerance, brotherhood and inclusiveness.

About the Gita Mahotsav

The Gita Mahotsav is celebrated annually to commemorate the birth of the Bhagwat Gita, the sacred scripture containing invaluable advice of Lord Krishna that he proffered some 5000 years ago to Arjuna, the third Pandava in the battlefield of Kurukshetra on the first day of the famous 18-day battle in the Mahabharata. The principle of the festival is to spread the message of peace and harmony across the world.