More students opting for supplementary language courses

Increasing numbers of students in Mauritius are reportedly choosing to learn languages – such as Chinese, German and Russian – in addition to their main university studies, to improve their future prospects.

Chinese

Marie Auralie Edouard, in her first year studying for an international degree in hotel and tourism management at Polytechnics Mauritius and also learning Mandarin, told L’Express of Port Louis: “It’s a completely new language for me; we had crazy laughs when our teacher introduced it. Gradually I started loving this language. I’ve been very motivated since.”

She said the language would boost her future prospects. “It will give me an advantage. And if I want to go to China to study, I’ll also be able to communicate with people and potential clients in the hotel business,” she said.

L’Express reported 1,253 Mauritians were studying in China, according to the Tertiary Education Commission.

Another student, Mohammud Bundhoo, told L’Express: “The Chinese are everywhere in the world, and Mandarin is among the most commonly spoken languages. That’s what pushed me to learn it. It’s difficult, but not impossible.”

German

German has also grown in popularity, reported L’Express. “To start with we only had a few students, but now we’re seeing more interest, especially among young people wanting to go there to study,” said Caroline Muller, a German teacher at Study Ways in Mauritius, where students can take an intensive 120-hour course before continuing at more advanced levels in Germany.

According to Al-Israil Noor, a manager at Study Ways, in 2016 there were only four or five students of German, but now there were between 80 and 90 Mauritians.

“It was weird the first day. I wasn’t used to the language. But as I had courses every day, it took off quickly,” said Anshini Nundloll, who is planning to study fashion and design in Germany later.

Yuvraj Ramdharry said: “If I hadn’t mastered the basics, it would be really complicated getting going in a foreign country.” After starting German in Mauritius, he continued in Germany, and was looking forward to starting his university engineering course there next month.

Russian

Olga Dassayah, who teaches Russian in Mahébourg, has noticed the language is becoming more widespread. “Mauritius is welcoming more tourists. And I have specialised courses for Mauritians who work or hope to work in this sector,” she told L’Express.

It was a similar situation for those wishing to study medicine in Russia, reported L’Express. Dr Ranjit Radhay, who manages a studies advice association, told the paper that the Marcus Training Centre in Floréal offered beginner and middle-level courses, and they could be provided for groups of four or five students. – Compiled by Jane Marshall

This article is drawn from local media. University World News cannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.