31 July - Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary

April 9, 2018 | Author: Anonymous | Category: Social Science, Sociology, Globalization
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Speech of Dr the Hon. Vasant K. Bunwaree, Minister of Education, Culture & Human Resources on the occasion of the launching ceremony of the 24 by 7 week on Friday 31st July 2009 at 18.45

Colleagues Ministers, Mr Mahendra Gondeea, Mayor of the Municipal Council of Port Louis Private Parliamentary Secretaries and members of the National Assembly Excellencies and members of the diplomatic corps. Mr. Deepak Tulsidas, Chairman of the HRDC Mr. Raj Auckloo, Director of the HRDC Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

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It gives me a great pleasure to address you this evening on the occasion of this launching ceremony of the 24/7 project.

The crowd present here today demonstrates the commitment to transform Mauritius into a world-class Economy ready to face the challenges of globalization and financial crisis.

This global economic crisis is the worst the world has ever known. So far, this does not seem to be a cyclical downturn that will be followed by a cyclical recovery. Despite major efforts by many governments, much remains to be done.

Banks in the US and Europe still have to be rid of their toxic assets and recapitalised. It is only then that they can resume lending, and fuel an economic recovery.

Businesses will have to undo past mistakes and consolidate their operations. Global macro-economic adjustments are also needed – Western countries must save more, and Asian economies will be expected to increase domestic consumption.

In any case, all the countries are getting ready to leap forward once the economy recovers ! Therefore, if we in Mauritius, do not put in additional effort we will surely miss the bandwagon.

I would like to thank the HRDC for this laudable and bold initiative to support the actions of Government to ensure that Mauritius makes a smooth transition towards an Economy that runs round the clock. We need to generate sufficient

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wealth and create enough jobs so that each and every citizen of this country can lead a decent life.

MAURITIUS faces challenging economic realities precipitated by the withdrawal of quotas, drying up of subsidies and the emergence of low cost competitor nations, in sectors where it enjoyed an edge.

Mauritius has had promising success in the ICT industry enabled predominantly by advantages of a bilingual workforce, congenial time-zone positioning, presence of reliable basic telecommunication infrastructure and sustained kinship with some outsourcing countries of Europe.

In fact the e-revolution is here ! The speed with which firms moved into the information age is quite amazing. The presence of leading hi-tech and Internet multinationals is shortening the time it will take Mauritius to become a true cyber-island. The fascinating part of the Internet is that it is available all the time: 24 hours a day over 7 days a week.

24/7, this is a way in which the modern economy operates. Goods and services are demanded and supplied round the clock. The economy functions non-stop and this has implications both economic and social. Countries which are essentially serviced-based operate on a 24/7 model.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the advancement in technology is shrinking the world. Mauritius is well positioned to be the gateway to Africa and play an important role in Asia-Africa partnership.

It is therefore important for our younger

generation to adopt a global outlook so that they will be able to tap the many new opportunities emerging in the world.

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The 24 x 7 economy requires adoption of flexible work practices. Work arrangements have to become more and more fluid. A great deal of flexibility has to be introduced through the reorganization of work itself. Flexible labour practices can boost the competitiveness and employment prospects of firms especially in the mechanical and electrical machinery industries.

The days when businesses of any kind could adequately serve customers with a “Monday through Friday,

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.” schedule are disappearing

gradually. Both employers and employees are slowly adopting the flexible working hours.

Ladies and Gentlemen, if Mauritius will not provide the pool of employees, other countries will. It has been reported that out of more than 45 million jobs created between 2006 and 2007, the majority was in South Asia. There were approximately 189.9 million unemployed in 2007.

In the same year, there were around 486.7 million workers in the world who did not earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the US $1 a day poverty line and 1.3 billion workers do not earn enough to lift themselves and their family above the US $2 a day line.

You will understand that all the less developed countries are making an effort to overcome the challenge of meeting the demands of companies for skilled and flexible workers in order to secure a share in the global market.

As Minister responsible for Human Resources, I do not want any existing business to be hampered, or any new business to fail to start just because we can’t find the adequate skilled and qualified people.

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We are doing all that is humanely possible to prepare our country to face the challenges that lie ahead in the world of work and especially in the field of job creation.

New avenues will appear soon. New challenges will have to be met. The Cultural Industry has started to take form.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My Ministry which takes at heart the promotion of culture in the Mauritian society is shortly coming with a project in schools to encourage students at the very early age to participate in cultural activities and groom them to become the great stars of tomorrow.

We will have a series of such activities in this respect in all our schools and each and every student would get the opportunity to show his/her talent by taking part in such cultural activities.

This will help to boost up a number of extracurricular activities leading to the promotion of new spheres of activity in the country. The cinematography industry in Mauritius is one of them which runs according to the 24/7 model.

We are also going to get the support of the HRDC in this respect to facilitate training for the cinematography industry and bring international know-how in Mauritius to groom our local artists. A special Sectoral Committee in Arts and Culture has been set up at the HRDC to come up with projects related to the expansion and development of arts and culture in the country and facilitate training related to this field.

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For these types of businesses flexibility is an important issue but I will make it a duty to ascertain that we never promote flexibility at the expense of the human. We have to guard against dehumanization of the work and this must be achieved through a well designed and regulated HR policy.

Flexibility, Ladies and Gentlemen, should never be used as an excuse for unjustified downsizing or de-layering. Every employee should be considered as an asset rather than a cost.

There should be closer collaboration between all functions within human resources. Companies like Google have proved that flexible work practices can be compatible with a balanced family work-life.

All aspects of the 24/7

economy, including security and transport are also being looked into.

I am firmly convinced that to generate success, we must forge ahead on this step.

This event will not only provide Mauritian families the opportunity to enjoy the life in Port-Louis by night but it will also ensure that we attract sufficient number of tourists. We have no choice but to consolidate our presence regionally and globally by cooperating more closely and using our strengths more effectively.

This event will also offer an unprecedented opportunity for Mauritians to set aside the hassles and hurlyburlies of life to enjoy the particular occasion offered to artists called upon to perform and show their talent to the entire nation.

We are indeed laying today the foundation stone to pave the way for a new Mauritius ahead. 6

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I now have the honour and priviledge to declare this big 24/7 event open in the city of Port Louis.

Thank you for your attention.

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