Pauline Etienne
26 February 2008
Port Louis — Demand exceeds offer in the three local polytechnic institutions. This is a sign that this type of qualification is gaining ground. And this may well be because employers of the private sector need specialised workers.
Motor mechanics is one of the fields of study at the Sir Guy Forget Lycée Poytechnique in Flacq which will welcome 140 new entrants on 14th of April.
350 places are available for the first year at the Swami Dayanand Institute of Management (SDIM) in Pamplemousses starting next August. The Sir Guy Forget Lycée Polytechnique in Flacq will be welcoming its 140 new recruits on the 14th of April while the Institut Supérieur de Technologies has already started its courses last month. Polytechnic education is gaining ground because it offers a wide array of job opportunities to students who feel more at ease with vocational studies The more so as chances of obtaining a job within a short period after the studies are really high.
"Most pupils have already obtained a job even before they have completed their studies," confirms Rajendraparsad Mungur, the chairman of the board of the Technical School Management Trust Fund. The integration rate is quite high after technical studies because employers need people who have specialized in specific fields.
Prakash Ramsurrun, the manager of the SDIM, makes it clear that the private sector values the competencies of those who have obtained a polytechnic diploma. However, "it is true that some institutions - particularly in the public or parastatal sectors - insist on basic academic qualifications like the Higher School Certificate (HSC)," he adds.
His institution started enrolment of students for the academic year 2008/2009 yesterday. The admission period will go on until the 30th of April, which is the closing date for the submission of application forms. "We have three types of qualifications available. First the full time diploma lasting two years for those having two main HSC subjects . Then, we offer the polytechnic diploma which takes three years for SC holders as well as part-time diploma courses lasting three years. Those with two A levels or one A-level and two years' experience in the field can enroll for those courses," the manager explains. The main fields of study available at the SDIM are Information and Communication Technologies, Business Administration and Accounting and Finance.
But the qualifications of students may not stop at the SDIM. Those obtaining their diploma - either in the mainstream or the polytechnic field - can choose to pursue their studies at the University of Mauritius, the University of Technology or even abroad. The partnership of the local institution with TAFE in Australia gives more opportunities to those wishing to complete their studies abroad, thus gaining foreign experience at the same time.
The subjects available at the Lycée Polytechnique de Flacq are more of a technical nature. Since its opening more than 25 years ago, the school in Flacq has been specializing in four particular fields: motor mechanics, mechanical manufacturing, electrical engineering - electronics and the building industry. The material used in the school is high-tech to make sure students are up to date with the latest innovations and can adapt to the labour market more easily. This was the case of Deeraj Ganga, 35, who is now the owner of Garage Deeraj and who would "advise all young people to follow courses at the Lycée Polytechnique".
The Brevet de Technicien obtained there can then open the door to the labour market or to further studies. Many of those at the Lycée Polytechnique choose to pursue their education at the IST in Rose-Hill, which will give them the opportunity to become engineers if they go up to the final stage in Limoges.
The 200 students presently at the IST have got in there thanks to their HSC or the BT of the Lycée Polytechnique Sir Guy Forget. Students can specialize in four fields - civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial informatics or applied informatics and industrial automatic operations. The Diplome Universitaire Supérieur de Technologies (DUST) extends over two years and endows successful candidates with the title of assistant engineer.
The SIDM can take only 350 new recruits but has to deal with about 500 applications every year. The case is not so different in Flacq where they had to refuse 100.
However an additional year to obtain a Licence Professionnelle in France is enough to become an engineer after the DUST - this is particularly interesting in Limoges because the IST has a partnership with this French university and scholarships can be obtained through the French embassy for that purpose. For the moment, students must go to France if they want to become qualified engineers. However, the institute is considering the idea of awarding its own Licence Professionnelle in the coming years. Moreover, agreements with the UoM and the UTM should soon enable IST students to join one of those two institutions to go on with their education.
Polytechnic education obviously offers great opportunities for students who are not interested in going on in a purely academic stream. Although some parents still have difficulty realizing that this type of education can provide great opportunities for their children on the labour market, it is gaining in popularity in the educational landscape of Mauritius.
While the SIDM can take only 350 new recruits on board (out of an overall population of 700 students), it has to deal with about 500 applications every year. The case is not so different in Flacq where they had to refuse more than 100 applications because of a lack of space this year.
Moreover, the minister of Education, Dharma Gokhool, insists on the "key-nature of this type of education for the development of the country." "The report of the National Human Resource Development Council made it clear that polytechnic education is much more in demand in specific technical fields than academic education," he concludes.
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