For once I?ll use the medium of this column not for matters that I truly hold at heart such as self-awareness, human education and development, but to comment on recent events in this island. I am referring of course to Government?s new budget and in particular, its around the Knowledge hub concept.

By announcing on Monday that it will shortly be introducing a Tertiary education interest support scheme, a Knowledge hub investment certificate scheme and a regulatory framework for the registration of future private universities, Government and the minister of Education in particular, are striking boldly into the future and taking courageous steps that must be acknowledged and praised publicly. Their decision will have two major consequences. Firstly, they will send an unequivocal signal to the rest of the world that Mauritius now wishes to join the elitist league of countries such as Australia, Singapore and Dubai which have dared to throw open the doors of their tertiary education system ? doors that are generally kept tightly shut and fiercely guarded by the state. Secondly, they are at long last leveling the playing field and ensuring that fee-paying institutions such as ourselves now have the opportunity to compete fairly with the (mostly free) state universities such as the University of Mauritius and the University of Technology. From now on, relevance, quality and service will become the critical success factors ? not the previous imbalances caused by access to money.

It has been said before and I repeat it again here: Mauritius is now entering a new age ? the age of knowledge. In years to come, it is more than clear that we shall no longer depend on our traditional sugar-based or labour-intensive textile industries. Instead, knowledge-intensive products and services will hold the key to our future prosperity and our ability to replace our financial and physical capital with our intellectual capital will make or break our economic development. Our tertiary educational institutions have a vital role to play here ? they have to disseminate this knowledge and ensure that it becomes available to all, for ?only? the educated mind can use and apply such knowledge. Educating the young, preserving our cultural heritage from India, Europe, Africa or China, providing the basic research in such vital areas as crop production or cybercities, training our professionals, challenging our society on matters such as communalism, fraud or corruption ? these are all the functions that all our tertiary institutions, public or private, must henceforth embrace with gusto and vigour.

As the newcomer on the scene, we wish to make our own contribution to this Knowledge hub. We wish to generate the relevant educational programmes, from degrees to diplomas and certificates, that will reflect increasingly an international perspective and ensure our global economic competitiveness. We wish to break the stranghold that stems directly from our past isolation - one that created a feeling that we could live safely in our islanded cocoon for the rest of our life without having to worry too much about the outside world.

By flinging wide open its doors to both local and overseas competition, this government is thinking rightly and boldly: there is simply no other option. Yes, Mr Jugnauth and yes, Mr Obeegadoo.

<B>Prof E Charoux</B>

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