We have, over the years, developed a tendency to prioritize superfi cial solutions to complex issues. No sooner had the award of 31 scholarships to the best ranked Higher School Certifi cate (HSC) students been made public that the laureate scheme started to come under fi re: it should be abolished!

This simplifi cation of the issue of scholarships for studies abroad is not the answer to a proper study of the increasing need for human resource development (HRD) and  meritocracy in a country that ambitions to be a tiger in this part of the world.

It is a fact that we are spending a lot of money (around Rs 165 million) on only 31 students, many of whom do not return to Mauritius after their studies abroad. This amount could certainly be used more judiciously, notwithstanding the largesse with which governments squander the contribution of taxpayers in unproductive sectors. As we move into the knowledge sector of the economy Mauritius needs to have a solid base of human resources at the highest level.

We all now live - and work-in a global village, which requires that we take a global approach to our human resource development. Having said this, we have to take a realistic view of higher education as it exists in Mauritius today. The University of Mauritius has come a long way from the days it was providing mainly certifi cate and diploma courses. But its student population still reflects that of a small university unable to cost effectively offer a wider range of courses, and its overdependence on State funding limits its access to resources and its fi eld of action.

The University of Technology of Mauritius (UTM), put together hurriedly in the year 2000, still does not have a proper campus. We have therefore to ask ourselves: Do facilities for higher studies in all disciplines exist locally? Will the public and private sectors prefer graduates from the UK and other well-known universities abroad? Will we not then continue to favour those who can afford to attend the best universities overseas and at the same time getting a global exposure?

Why scrap the laureate scheme altogether when we can convert it into another scheme that will allow for a more judicious use of the funds available? The UoM had, in the past, negotiated with the Universities of Manchester and Newcastle to provide a degree course in medical sciences which would allow students to be exempted from the fi rst two years of their medical course. Similarly, the best students of the UoM obtain scholarships from the UK and French governments to study for a Master’s degree in UK or France. Global exposure is essential in today’s global village and schemes can easily be devised between the Mauritian universities and overseas universities to make it possible for students to spend one year abroad during their undergraduate studies or for a postgraduate study.

Scholarships along these lines can then be offered to all those on the list of best ranked HSC students instead of asking them to study in Mauritius for the full duration of their studies.

It is a fact that the majority of laureates do not come back to Mauritius after their studies. How can we insist that they come back when there is no guarantee of a job here?

In Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia they would have been offered a job even before completing their studies. They are certainly not prepared to come back and “tourne pouce” waiting for manna to drop from heaven.

A guarantee of employment on a 2-year contract basis would see more laureates returning to Mauritius. Of course, human resource development is much broader than just a laureate scheme. Bursaries, soft loans, continuing education and staff development have to form an integral part of HRD.

The ten countries grouped together under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) : Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and others have put together a scheme to provide scholarships for the “nurturing of young minds”.

There are also exchange programs to enable students to study in different environments. Mauritius, which depends to a large extent on its human resources for its development, needs to recognize talents and reward efforts on the basis of meritocracy and excellence, a feature which is not so evident in the country.