Dr. The Honourable K. S. Sukon, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and the Founding Director-General of the Open University of Mauritius (OU). He established OU in July 2012, transforming it into a dynamic, ISO-certified institution. By October 2024, under his strategic leadership, OU had surpassed 13,000 learners, secured its position as Mauritius's leading university in enrolment, and achieved full financial independence—a remarkable achievement reflecting his unwavering dedication to innovation and excellence in higher education.
Dr Sukon has been the Second Vice-President of the African Council of Distance Education, and as the Chairman of the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council, he led the launch of the first Mauritius nano-satellite and signed the agreement for the second one.
He was also a member of the Board of the Financial Services Institute Ltd. His past leadership roles include chairing the Mauritius College of the Air and the Mauritius Museums Council, with esteemed tenures at the level of the Senate of the University of Mauritius and the Academic Council of the University of Technology Mauritius.The Honourable Minister is also an honorary affiliate at the Imperial College London, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Learning for Development and the Symbiosis International Research Journal on Online & Distance Learning.
The contributions of Dr Kaviraj Sharma Sukon to academia extend internationally to consulting for prominent organisations such as ADEA, UNESCO, ILO, and UNDP. He has also prepared the “Peer Review Report on Educational Reforms in Mauritius, 2000-2005", the UNESCO National Education Support Strategy (UNESS) for Mauritius in 2010, and the National Employment Policy for Mauritius in 2011. Dr Sukon's scholarly pursuits led to the development of a new mathematical model called the Two-parameter Alternative Group Explicit Method. He has also coined the term "blearning" to signify the cohesive nature of blended learning. His acclaimed 'Practical Teaching and Blearning Model' has been published in the impact factor journal named 'Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal'.
