A few friends and I had made up our minds to apply for the Common Wealth Scholarship. Most of us wanted to complete our Mphil/PhD.

So, we contacted the Common Wealth via e-mail and we did obtain a fast response.

In mine, it was specifically mentioned:

The application form is on the website under ‘Making an Application’ via the EAS.

EAS stands for Electronic Application System.

So, I browsed my way to the EAS [ http://www.cscuk.org.uk/apply/eas.asp ], registered and filled out a form and uploaded copies of my CV, degrees, and other certifications (around 20 MB of bloody data.) My referees added the bloody information required through the EAS. You’ve got to love online applications.

Last week, I decided to check whether the nominating body, The Ministry of Education of Mauritius, did receive the online application. I sent the one(s) responsible a letter via post. (I do not trust Government bodies and e-mail.)

Discrimination against NETIZENS

This morning, some woman from the Ministry of Education phoned me. That was uber weird for nobody phones me. All my contacts use Skype on their phones.

Anyway, she told me that the Ministry of Education accepts forms which have been filled out via the Government web site and that applicants can should produce hard copies of their documents.

The phone call left me baffled. Why does the Common Wealth have an EAS? Why does the Ministry of Education of Mauritius have its own online form? Why are the 2 online forms different?

Till now, Nobody has provided me with answer.

I printed copies of the docs and headed out to the IVTB House – the place where the Scholarship applications were being processed for nomination.

I was asked to fill a form (paper) which was uber different from the one of the EAS.

Check out the pictures of the bloody form:

• http://blog.fadil.fr/images/IMAG0329.jpg
• http://blog.fadil.fr/images/IMAG0330.jpg
• http://blog.fadil.fr/images/IMAG0331.jpg
• http://blog.fadil.fr/images/IMAG0332.jpg

If you’ve other certifications aside from the ones mentioned (e.g. CITP, RHL CERTIFICATIONS,etc), these cannot be in the form. Do note that the EAS did support the inclusion of many certifications.

So, in Mauritius, your nomination for an Mphil or PhD will depend upon how well you did in SC and HSC. Wow! If you are a certified Sun Java Developer, you cannot mention that on the form. I believe this to be discriminatory for:

EVEN IF YOU FILL OUT FORMS AND UPLOADED DOCUMENTS AT THE EAS OR AT THE GOVERNMENT WEB SITE, YOU (AS A NETIZEN) ARE REQUIRED TO SHOW UP AT THE IVTB HOUSE. THIS IS UBER LAME!!!

THIS IS DISCRIMINATION – CAN’T SOMEONE CHECK OUT THE UPLOADED DOCUMENTS? BEFORE YOU ARGUE THAT ONE COULD UPLOAD FAKE DOCUMENTS, DO TAKE NOTE THAT ONE COULD FORGE PAPER DOCUMENTS AS WELL.

PLUS, BY NOT BEING ABLE TO MENTION OTHER OF YOUR CERTIFICATIONS ON THE APPLICATION FORM PUTS YOU AT A DISADVANTAGE.

E-Governance in Mauritius = FAIL
RED TAPE in Mauritius = FTW!

Here is funniest thing ever – one of the data entry person (a woman) told me – I am quoting her exact words:

Kapav si nou ti ena funding, nou ti pou capave check form la online.

It means: maybe if we had funding, we could have checked out the form.

Wow! How much money is required to e-mail the Common Wealth and issue a request to access the EAS?

Questions:

• Why did the Common Wealth provide the URL of the EAS?
• Why do the folks at the Ministry of Education not have access to the EAS?
• What is with the huge amount of red tape at the Ministry of Education?
• Why discriminate Netizens by asking them to show up in real life?
• Does the Ministry of Education discard people who are members of Learned Societies like the ACM, the BCS, etc?
• Why does the form provided to applicants not include: Publications (Published papers) / Other certifications (You can’t add those under the little amount of space provided in the School Certificate Results Section. Ref. Pictures.)

To those who stuck with the flawed ‘rules,’ congratulations! I hope that you do win the scholarships and shine. Rock on.

As far as my friends and I go, we can fund our fees. The country is at a loss. We just hope that netizens will be aware that “Maurice n’est pas un plaisirs. – La faute revient aux mauriciens cons.“

P.S

Definition of a netizen: [ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/netizen ]