UKCAC - Mauritius Chapter.
Membership: Commonwealth
Scholars and Fellows/Chevening Scholars
Preamble.
The CSFP Plan established
in 1959 was designed as a system of awards to men and women from all Commonwealth countries chosen for their high intellectual
promise and their capacity to return to make a significant contribution to life in their own countries. One of its guiding
principles is that it be based upon mutual co-operation and the sharing of educational experience among all countries of the
Commonwealth.
The CSFP has so far supported about 22 000 award holders and 500 more benefit each year. Over 500 universities
in 35 countries and regions around the Commonwealth are members of the Association of Commonwealth Universities making it
one of the most effective international networks in higher education.
The Chevening Scholarships programme started in 1984, as
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Scholarships and Awards Scheme. In 1994, the name of the scheme was changed to Chevening,
after Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent. Since the scheme began, over 40,000 students have held Chevening Scholarships.
The CSFP Alumni programme commenced in 2001, and has already
succeeded in tracing almost 30% of those individuals who have studied in the UK. A particular achievement was the publication,
in October 2003, of the first Directory of Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows. Several overseas chapters have formed of Commonwealth
Scholars, including the UKCAC-Mauritius chapter in 2004.
Mauritius Chapter.
A CSFP Reception was held at Sofitel
Imperial on 13 April 2004 to launch the Mauritius Chapter as the First event of the ACU Council Meeting in Mauritius which
was attended by about 100 Former Scholars and Fellows including about 30 ACU Council members. Distinguished Guests included
Mr M Plumb, Deputy British High Commissioner, Dr J Kirkland, Executive Secretary CSC, Prof M Gibbons, Executive Secretary,
ACU, Prof M Mohamedbhai, ACU Chair and Vice Chancellor at the University of Mauritius and Ms R Burford, Director of the British
Council.
The CSFP has so far enabled about
250 Mauritians to study in institutions in the U.K since 1961. About 1000 have also studied in Australia, Canada, New Zealand,
India, Hong Kong, Malta, Malaysia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. About 30 Chevening Scholarships have been awarded
to Mauritians by the British High Commission for a master's course in the U.K since the inception of the scheme in 1984.
A large number of scholars can now
be found in academia, government and in the private sector as listed in Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows Directory. Some
former award holders having been serving as MPs or as Ministers while others hold positions abroad.
The outline of the CSC’s
Evaluation Programme was designed following a workshop hosted by the CSC in May 2007. Participants at the workshop, including current Commonwealth
Scholars and Fellows and representatives from CSFP national agencies and other funding organisations, drew up guidelines leading
to the design of the programme, which commenced in September 2000. Dr Roshan Ramessur attended the sub-saharan Africa Chevening
Regional Conference in Pretoria from 26-28 February 2008 to discuss networking of alumni. The British High Commissioner, Nick
Leake, and Dawn Long, Director British Council, held a reception in honour of 2 new Chevening Scholars at Westminster
House, Floreal on 22 September 2011.
Dr John Kirkland, Executive Secretary of the Commission, hosted an
informal event for alumni during a visit to Mauritius on 6 March 2012. Members of the Mauritius chapter discussed plans for
alumni involvement in the forthcoming Conference for Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) in Mauritius during August. Dr
Roshan Ramessur also visited the ACU, Woburn House, 20-24 Tavistock Square in London on 27 March 2012 and had a meeting
with Jocelyn Law, Dorothy Garland, Sarah Hinz and Dr John Kirkland to discuss an Alumni Reception for Commonwealth Alumni
and Chevening Scholars and the Education Conference to be held at the University of Mauritius from 29-31 August 2012
parallel to CCEM. As from 1 April 2012, Chevening Scholars are being administered by the Chevening Scholarship Secretariat
at the ACU in London.
PROFESSIONAL COMMONWEALTH ALUMNI NETWORKS.
The Professional Commonwealth Networks programme is a major part of a long-term strategy to maintain
contact through various Chapters. To make this work, it is important that as many alumni and current award-holders as
possible sign up for the networks of most relevance to them.
The first three networks were launched
in November 2004, in the areas of Public Health, Education and Governance, Civil Society, Community Development and the Environment
network in May 2005. Network members receive quarterly email briefings covering for example news, forthcoming conferences
and workshops and reports and are also able to email the network to share their own news and opinions.
In
2012 Professional Networks bring together alumni and current Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows working in specific fields.
Network members currently have access
to the Professional Networks in one of two ways:
- LinkedIn, where coordinators post regular discussion topics and
members are able to add their own comments and post items themselves
- An email list, via which members receive regular electronic newsletters
and are able to communicate with other members.
To join a LinkedIn Professional
Network, current Commonwealth Scholars Fellows or alumni will need to be members of the main Commonwealth Scholarships group.
If you have not yet received an
invitation to the group from the CSC, please email, including your full name
and award details:
Professional.Networks@cscuk.org.uk
