Africa-Press – Mauritius. Winners of the inter-college project competition organised by Omnicane Foundation were rewarded with prizes, today, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, and his spouse, during a prize giving ceremony held at Holiday Inn, Mauritius, Mon Tresor.
The Chief Executive Officer of Omnicane, Mr Jacques M. d’Unienville; the Chairperson of the Media Trust, Mr Chayman Surajbali; Lady Sarojini Jugnauth; and other personalities were present.
The winners are: Sookdeo Bissoondoyal State College (1st prize); Queen Elizabeth College (2nd prize) and Sir Abdool Raman Osman State College (3rd prize).
The competition was organised by Omnicane Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology and was open to pupils of Grade 11 (ex-Form V) and Grades 12 & 13 (ex-Lower and Upper VI) of all registered colleges of Mauritius and Rodrigues.
The theme for this edition was “This year, Mauritius celebrates its 55th year of independence and the Mauritian media commemorates its 250th year of existence.
How will the local media continue fulfilling its mission of being the watchdog of democracy and freedom of information in this digital era within the process of nation building for the Republic of Mauritius?”.
In his address, President Roopun underlined that the media over the 250 years has played a crucial role in the socio-economic development of the country. Media, he stated, is the watchdog of democracy and is a key stakeholder in imparting information among the population and safeguarding their rights.
He dwelt on the history of the local media and press while adding that there have been numerous evolutions due to technology and digitilisation over the time.
The media, he said, has to adapt to new trends and technologies and keep pace with the expectations of the youth. Truthfulness, accuracy, balance and fairness are the key elements to preserve the quality of information and make informed decisions, he stated.
The President highlighted the importance of Freedom of Expression in a democratic country and stressed that there are often abuse of these rights. He called upon the local media to continue to provide their contribution in fostering democracy, improving the quality of information, protecting the rights of citizens and strengthening unity, prosperity and polical stability.
As for Mr d’Unienville, he underlined that this competition is being organised by the Omnicane since more than 50 years and has become an important feature in the calendar of activities.
This edition pays a tribute to the whole media community for being present in all milestone events and for disseminating information to the public, he remarked.
The competition has enabled the youth to come together, brainstorm, reflect on pertinent and topical issues and come up with recommendations to consolidate democracy and promoting nation building, he further said.
Mr Surajbali, for his part, thanked the Omnicane Foundation for having chosen a theme that rightfully pays a tribute to the local media and the press. According to him, the media is regarded as the tribune of the people and plays a pivotal role in promoting democracy and the rights of people.
Government, he said, takes a keen interest in the welfare of journalists and the Media Trust provides high standards of professional training to serving journalists with focus on ethical standards, professionalism, impartiality, and accuracy.
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