A key component for the success of the Cybercity project is manpower (the wrong term since a large proportion of cybercadres will be women!) The immediate needs, i.e. the training of School Certificate-Higher School Certificate and degree holders in Information

and Communication Technology (ICT) is being catered for by a large diversity of training institutions, one must say of varying levels of competence.

The next generation (now at school) is in theory to be covered by the primary school ICT project being initiated now. Are we to have adequate equipment, their safety and maintenance assured in order to run this project successfully? Are there enough ICT teachers? The present level of staffing, one teacher for a three-stream primary school, (i.e. 18 classes + one repeater class) is very low indeed. One answer is to treble this number (cost?). The other better answer is to train and implicate all other teachers in the school to become computer literate. The computer is a marvellous tool of learning and will be used to improve Language, Maths and Science skills of pupils, enabling teachers to play their real role of guide, motivator, facilitator, moral and ethical role model, (not one of a walking encyclopaedia).

A full secondary school ICT development project is still to be designed, despite some individual colleges already doing a good job in ICT.

The Ebene Cybercity, when fully developed, and the Réduit tertiary level campuses (MIE, MCA, University of Mauritius, MSIRI, Ministry of Agriculture, Labs, TEC, etc + MGI) will easily attract 10 000 to 20 000 persons daily. A branch of the Port Louis-Curepipe rapid transit (light railway-metro) would serve this area very well, i.e. a Réduit-Ebène-Rose Hill line. Make no mistake, the rapid transit is an absolute must for Mauritius, all delays on this project only lose precious time. However, building a metro (underground or overground) is a major disruptor of any city or countryside, much worse than sewerage works. So why not include the rapid transit plan for Ebène (rail, station and parking, etc.) right now into the construction scheme since Ebène is at present a chantier de construction. No one would wish to repeat those errors of the past when citizens watched in amazement and dismay as newly completed and asphalted roads were dug up to install whatever ? all this due to lack of coordination between Ministry of Works, Municipalities, Central Water Authority, Central Electricity Board and Sewerage.

Let us live up to this era of good advance planning.

Michaël ATCHIA