About OU

Our History

In December 1971, the Parliament established the Mauritius College of the Air (MCA) in order to support students at primary and secondary levels. MCA used a combination of correspondence courses as well as broadcasting of educational video and audio programmes on the national radio and television. When the Government of Mauritius decided to review the objectives of the MCA, this resulted in the approval of the new MCA Act in 1985. As per this new Act, MCA was set up to promote education, arts, science and culture generally through mass media and distance education methods. In 1994, the Division of Distance Education was set up to develop the institutional capacity of MCA to deliver distance education programmes; offer adult and continuing education using distance education methodology; and to cater for the needs of those willing to gain access to education after having left the conventional system. MCA had several partners including Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) India; University of Mauritius; and Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK).

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  • Vision of the Open University

    To be among the best open universities in the world.

  • Mission of the Open University

    Use technology and flexible mode of teaching to serve society, transform lives and make high quality education, lifelong learning, and training accessible to everyone while promoting excellence in research.

  • Motto

    My University Always With Me.

OU DEPARTMENTS

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Admissions Office

The Admissions Office operates under the Administration Division to ensure that accurate information is given to prospective learners, thus enabling them to make informed decisions. It is responsible for processing applications from prospective learners. The Admissions Office provides assistance to OU’s prospective learners throughout their application process and module registration. This Office also processes requests for exemption from new learners and organises convocation ceremonies.

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Academic Affairs Division

The Academic Affairs Division (AAD) aims at providing the services of a quality distance education system. The objectives of the AAD are to: Administer  Open Distance Learning & full-time programmes; Manage the delivery of Open Distance Learning and full-time programmes; Plan, design and develop and  programmes/courses; Author course material for ODL  including Instructional  Design; Initiate Open Distance Learning programmes/courses and full-time programmes; Provide learner support including extra-curricular activities; Be involved in research activities; and organise activities or publish materials which could help the community at large.

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Examinations Unit

Examination plays an important role in the teaching and learning process and is also an instrument that contributes to the continuous improvement of the teaching and learning process. OU set up the Examinations Unit in August 2012 in compliance with subsection 5(h) and (i) and 24 (d), (f), (i) and (j) of the Open University of Mauritius Act No. 2 of 2010. The mission statement of the OU Examinations Unit is to establish a confidential, efficient and transparent assessment and evaluation system that will meet the expectations of the Academia and the learners.

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Quality

The Quality Assurance System (QAS) adopted at OU was a major issue, which management addressed with due consideration in order to be in line with the recommendations of the TEC and the Ministry of Education. Hence the institution developed a Strategic Plan which sets the Vision and Mission of OU up to 2025. In line with the objectives set in the Strategic Plan, a Quality Policy Framework has been developed in consultation with renowned experts from the Commonwealth of Learning-Canada,  experts from Australia and the Quality Team of OU. OU's Quality Team is now developing an implementation plan as well as a measuring-monitoring system to enable the institution to assess its activities and improve its processes.

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Student Affairs Unit

The Student Affairs Unit plays a vital role in acting as the interface between prospective and current learners and OU. It is not a section operating in isolation but it rather interacts with other departments to provide support to current and prospective OU students. Information is disseminated through the OU website to all prospective learners about the programmes on offer.  The website also displays important communiqué for all stakeholders and the general public. Credentials are provided to access the MOODLE e-learn Platform where learners get their learning materials in form of manuals, recorded videos, lecture notes, past exams papers, among others.

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Marketing and Public Relations Unit

The Marketing and PR Unit of OU looks into the overall public relations and marketing activities of the University, creating communication content and implementing nationwide information activities through multiple media (Print, Radio, TV, Press, Social Media) and event management. The Unit either fully organises or collaborates with other departments to run events/activities such as Induction Sessions, Fairs, Convocation Ceremonies, MOU signatures, Open Days, Symposia and Conferences, etc..

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Audio-Video Production Unit

The Audio-Video Production Unit is equipped to record, to edit and to format video for different stakeholders, one main stakeholder being Open University learners. OU runs courses in mixed modes, i.e. face-to-face and Open Distance Learning. The face-to-face sessions are not compulsory. Therefore, to help those who cannot attend, the lectures of the different modules are recorded for them, following request from the responsible Programme Manager. Priority is given to courses where we have overseas learners, and where we have a considerable amount of learners.

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Library Services

As OU aims at being a technology-based university, the concept of the e-library is important. E-books and online journals are made available to staff and learners. The e-library is particularly suited to learners who have opted to study by distance education mode and whose physical presence on the campus is minimal. They can access the e-library on a 24/7 basis from any location with internet access, and not only at OU.

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Open School Division

The Open School Division (OS) is the corporate arm that provides training to the workforce, and gets drop-outs back to learning, thus giving them a second chance. Moreover, OS contributes to the Student Support Programme (SSP) which aims at providing additional support to learners of Grades 7, 8 and 9. Current activities of OS include: training of public officers in various grades with a view to upgrading their skills for appointment and better performance training of young job seekers in Employability Skills, training of corporate staff in Management and Technical courses, production of videos, supporting notes, self-assessment tasks and links to additional resources for SSP.

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Research, Consultancy and Innovation Unit

The RCI Unit acts as a national and international centre of excellence in key research areas such as online learning, Technology in education, Public Health and Inter-culturalism, amongst others. It will thus be a catalyst to encourage creative research, innovative scholarship, and a spirit of inquiry leading to the generation of new knowledge within the University. It aims at providing a stimulating and congenial environment to promote research, consultancy and innovation across interdisciplinary projects. It will also promote institution-wide services for seeking and managing research funding and grants from different institutions including government, research bodies, foundations, and industries.

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Finance Division

The Finance Division of OU is responsible for the management of OU’s Finance; the preparation of Budget, Payroll, Accounts as well as collection of revenue mainly from course fees.  The Finance Division also provides essential financial information to OU’s Board with a view to increasing operational efficiency and to ensure long-run financial sustainability.

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ICT Unit

The mission of the ICT Unit is to deliver effective, efficient and collaborative IT services, solutions and strategies in a timely manner so as to support the University’s strategic goals.  The main objective of the ICT Unit is to be the department that helps OU staff and learners to achieve their goals by creating solutions and providing reliable information. The ICT Unit consists of five permanent staff and it looks after all OU IT requirements in terms of MIS.  It also strives to provide cost-effective solutions based on the requirements of the University and initiates the best implementation plan according to the delivery time.  Hence, some systems are developed in-house, while others are outsourced.

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Human Resource and Development

The HR Unit is responsible for the HR functions to meet the needs of OU while ensuring compliance to established procedures and human resource policies applicable to parastatal bodies based on guidelines of the HRM Manual of the Ministry for Civil Service and Administrative Reforms (MCSAR), the provisions of the PRB Report, MCSAR Circulars and Regulations.

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Engineering and Technology Services (ETS) Unit

The ETS  Unit is responsible  for maintaining the physical infrastructure of OU and the provision of adequate ICT equipment and infrastructure to staff and learners. The Unit has to ensure that all classrooms are in good condition for the conduct of face-to-face tutorials and that necessary equipment, such as projectors, are available to Tutors. It also oversees the provision of Internet and Wi-Fi facilities to staff, Tutors, visitors and learners.

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Collaboration and Partnerships

Partnership with institutions such as UNISA, Commonwealth of Learning and Imperial College London was established in the initial days of OU. These partners have played an extremely important role in shaping OU. Over the years, we have strengthened these partnerships. Moreover, successful collaborative projects have resulted in enhanced visibility of OU at both national and international levels. In turn, this also attracted other universities and even non-academic organisations that wished to collaborate. OU is currently working with other prestigious networks and clusters at national and international levels.