VICTORIA, Seychelles — The Seychelles government and Middlesex University Dubai have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at expanding educational opportunities for Seychellois students. The agreement, signed yesterday morning at the Ministry of Education headquarters in Mont Fleuri, has been in the works for some time, following an official visit to the university’s campus last year.
Principal secretary for Education Sector Development, John Lesperance, explained that Seychelles’ ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Gervais Moumou, played an instrumental role in pushing for the memorandum. Presently, the university is already hosting nine Seychellois students who are pursuing their studies in varying fields at its Dubai campus, all of whom are on government scholarships.
“The MoU means a lot to us. Dubai, being in close proximity to Seychelles, and the fact that a lot of students, and parents as well, like to be close, obviously Dubai seems to be a preferred destination,” said Mr Lesperance. Pro Vice-Chancellor and Director of Middlesex University, Dubai, Professor Cedwyn Fernandes, noted that the university is the largest branch campus of any university anywhere in the world, except in China. “So Middlesex University, as from this September, will have 7,000 students. These students come to Middlesex University because of what we call our student experience.”
