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FACEBOOK UKCAC-CHEVENING MAURITIUS ALUMNI GROUP Directory of Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows 1959-2009 Commonwealth in Action- Welcome Event for UK Commonwealth Alumni, Nottingham, U.K, November 2016 UKCAC- Mauritius Chapter Reception, Voila Hotel, Bagatelle 28 April 2016 UKCAC - Mauritius Chapter Alumni Dinner, Flying Dodo 18 December 2015 UKCAC- Mauritius Chapter Article during 2012 CCEM, Feb 2013 Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK Commonwealth Professional Networks Alumni Office, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission,London
UKCAC - Mauritius Chapter. Membership: Commonwealth
Scholars and Fellows/Chevening Scholars
Preamble.
"The significance of Commonwealth Day and the values of solidarity and human rights which underpin the Commonwealth are true
and inspiring. Please pass my heartfelt greetings to the Commonwealth alumni. I am fortunate to have met many of them in Mauritius,
and have enjoyed their company and conversation. To every one of them I send my very best wishes for continuing success in
all they do. I look forward to hearing of their work and contribution to the development of Mauritius, your beautiful island.
This is also the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Programme, for which the Commonwealth Scholarship
Commission is the UK contribution. I am proud to be a steward of this successful organisation in this anniversary year, and
with my fellow Commissioners, I am committed to ensuring its future success, for 60 more years at least. Your reports of impact
and success will help contribute to that future being secured." Professor Richard Middleton CSC Chair, March 2019
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.Current Commonwealth Scholars, Fellows or alumni are continuously
invited to join the main Commonwealth Scholarships group and LinkedIn Professional Networks. The Directory of Commonwealth
Scholars and Fellows is now available in an online searchable format as updated since 2012. The online Directory contains
almost 5,000 alumni career profiles, and the Register section lists more than 30,000 individuals who have held awards under
the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan across the Commonwealth since 1959.
UKCAC- 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. UKCAC- Mauritius Chapter Founding
President Dr Roshan T Ramessur welcomed distinguished guests including 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
500 Mauritians to study in institutions in the U.K since 1961. About 1500 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 18th Conference for Commonwealth Education Ministers (18 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 coordinate 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.
The UKCAC- Mauritius Chapter Alumni reception was chaired by President Dr S Rosunee in 2012 and Rt Hon Dr R Jeetah, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology and CS Fellow Alumni also attended the reception. From 1 April 2012, Chevening Scholars are being administered by the Chevening Scholarship Secretariat at the ACU in London. UKCAC- Mauritius President Dr R Ramessur hosted an alumni reception on 28 April 2016 with Dr John Kirkland OBE Deputy Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and CSC Executive Secretary and Professor Richard Middleton, CSC Chair at Voila Hotel Bagatelle as distinguished guests. Visibility materials including magazines, pins and posters were displayed during the sponsored event by the alumni office in London. UKCAC- Mauritius Chapter photos (CSP- Alumni Dr R Ramessur- Global Ocean Acidification- Observing Network- ApHRICA Project Workshop funded by The Ocean Foundation, Washington, D,C, IAEA and the US State Department and Madev Balloo- EU Function in Mauritius) were displayed during the Welcome Event for Commonwealth in Action in Nottingham,U.K November 2016. Dr R Ramessur also attended dinner hosted by H.E Mr Jonathan Drew at the British High Commission, Westminster House, Floreal and a talk on Science and Innovation at the State House, Reduit during the visit of Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society and 2009 Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry in March 2017. Applications for Commonwealth Rutherford Fellowships for highly skilled researchers from other Commonwealth countries to spend one or two years at an eligible UK university conducting postdoctoral research were advertised as these fellowships are funded by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the Rutherford Fund. Issues of Common Knowledge are regularly circulated to alumni, Scholars, Fellows and stakeholders and feature alumni articles and updates. Dr R Ramessur had the opportunity to meet and discuss with Thomas Blunt and Kirsty Scott, Alumni Officers during his visit to the ACU/CSC in London in December 2017 for updates on regional alumni events. The Mauritius Chapter of former UK Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows held its Annual Chapter Dinner at Restaurant 88 on 19 January 2018 where new members including Chevenings and UK Commonwealth Alumni seized this opportunity to share views on a wide range of issues. Dr Ramessur also attended the Commonwealth Big Lunch during CHOGM at Westminster House as hosted by H.E Keith Allan, British High Commissioner in Mauritius in April 2018 to network with stakeholders on specific Commonwealth themes. The UK Alumni Awards, run by the British Council, Mauritius, celebrated the outstanding achievements of alumni and showcase the impact and value of a UK higher education. Award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions and countries. Mauritius finalists in 2018 were Dr Leckraj Amal Bolah (social impact award category), Dr Devina Lobine (professional achievement award category) and Prakash Ramiah, Chevening Alumni. Vashil Jasgray, Chevening Alumni won the Social Impact UK Alumni Award during a ceremony at the State House. CSFP Alumni are encouraged to keep UKCAC- Mauritius Chapter informed of their achievements and successes so we can continue to promote the good work of our alumni and keep the Alumni Office and funders updated with the invaluable work carried out by alumni. The past two years (2020-2022) have been difficult and constraining from a number of perspectives. The Covid-19 pandemic severely curtailed face to face meetings and alumni reunions. Dr. Roshan Ramessur, Vice President, attended the CSC’s Mentoring Programme induction online webinar in March 2022. The Webinar provided an opportunity to network with fellow Mentors and to share tips and guidance based on mentoring experiences. He also participated in the Roundtable Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort - DRAMAH in November 2021. The CSC Knowledge Hub Hangouts also provided an opportunity for members to connect in real time and network with Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni working in specific topic areas. Each Hangout normally focuses on a topic area and brings together Knowledge Hub members from a range of backgrounds and disciplines to discuss their work and contributions to this area. Through the Hangouts, members may identify potential collaborators, grow their networks, and be introduced to new ideas and perspectives on the topic. 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.
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:
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
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