A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Université des Mascareignes (UDM) and the Trust Fund for Excellence in Sports (TFES), aimed to develop a partnership to support elite athletes in their sports development while allowing them to pursue their tertiary studies under conditions adapted to their needs, was signed, today, at the Citadelle Mall, in Port-Louis.
The Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint, the President of UDM, Professor Nathalie Bernardie Tahir, and the Director General of UDM, Dr Radhakrishna Somanah, were present.
Through the MoU, the UDM will offer three reserved seats per faculty, every year, to elite athletes who satisfy basic entry requirements. Training will also be provided to elite athletes with some flexibility to allow them to attend their schedules sports training and competitions. This partnership aims to bring out sporting excellence in Mauritius and to empower elite athletes through higher education in order to facilitate their integration in society after their sporting career.
In his address, Minister Toussaint expressed satisfaction that this first collaboration with a University in Mauritius in the field of sports development has been concretised adding that the programme will enable young athletes to combine tertiary studies and pursue a career in elite sports. He also appealed to the youth to seize this opportunity and take advantage of this programme.
Lauding the UDM, Minister Toussaint recalled that it is a reference on the tertiary education scene in Mauritius, with dynamic staffs and students as well as a very conducive environment.
For her part, Professor Nathalie Bernardie Tahir highlighted that sports are very important in the life of an individual as they are a mode of expression and liberation. She stated that the MoU will allow to conciliate sports and studies which will enable elite athletes to pursue their tertiary studies under conditions adapted to their needs.
She further recalled that UDM has a close working collaboration with the Université de Limoges, France. The bulk of the award are dual certificates, one from UDM and another from the Université de Limoges in France, which allow students to earn degrees which are internationally recognised, she added.
The TFES is currently running three schemes, namely Support to students/athletes pursuing secondary/pre-vocational school studies (locally or abroad); support to students/athletes pursuing tertiary/vocational studies (locally or abroad); and the State Recognition Scheme for retired athletes. The TFES is also running an ad hoc scheme namely Support to athletes for the Paris Olympic Games 2024.
