Our Story
The Avant-Garde School
The thirst for “more and better” for our students has fuelled the Dukesbridge engine from the very start. We push boundaries, challenge the status quo and innovate. At the time Dukesbridge was initially launched, a two to three year old was considered too young for swimming, Karate or ballet lessons in Mauritius; Dukesbridge worked with the professional instructors to pioneer a programme which is now used by many children and schools around the island. In a nation where French or Creole is the dominant domestic language, we have found that immersing children as early as 18 months in English through our TOTS foundation programme, thus challenging the traditional mindset that learning starts at 3 years of age, has made a real difference in developing our multilingual students.
Our Origins
The Founder of Dukesbridge, Rishi Nursimulu, fundamentally believes in the influence of education as a major catalyst of change for an entire community as he describes his own first-hand experience:
“I come from a very humble background in Mauritius where my forefathers were brought from India to work the sugarcane fields as indentured labourers. My grandparents worked extremely hard and ploughed everything they had into the pursuit of education for their children. My parents worked part-time whilst they were studying at secondary school to fund their school fees, and afterwards they became teachers. They, in turn, saved every cent to invest into my siblings’ and my education, and I ended up winning a life-changing full scholarship for university studies in the UK which opened the doors to me working in prominent roles in a global setting. This would not have been possible without the cultural value of education shown through the intentional sacrifices of my forefathers and mirrored by the desire we, children, have demonstrated towards learning and development.”
What Followed
After years of working in Europe and Australia, he returned to Mauritius with a dream to sow back into his community by creating a new educational concept moving away from the purely academic-driven school model. Dukesbridge was birthed in September 2014 in Moka, Mauritius, and has witnessed an unprecedented growth ever since backed by the demand from the community. Within a space of five years, Dukesbridge grew into 10 preschool campuses spread across Mauritius, evolved into Dukesbridge Primary School, expanded into East Africa, and is in the process of firming up its plans to go into the Middle School and High School sectors.
A Unique Experience
The Dukesbridge experience is unique but not merely for the sake of being different. Everything that we do has a purpose. For instance, our uniform has been thoughtfully designed to ensure that even the smallest child who attends the school takes pride in looking sharp, develops a sense of belonging and feels that he or she is at par with the others irrespective of their social background or status.
We never conform to what every school does just to “fit in”; very often, concepts are misunderstood by the providers themselves, let alone parents. A clear example is the fact that many schools claim to be Montessori schools, and yet they do not mix the children of all ages together in one class, each child does not get to decide on one of the 50 or so predefined Montessori activities and for how long he or she will do it for, the children are sheltered from drinking out of a glass and do not learn the glass breaking consequence of dropping it on the floor – all of which are fundamental aspects which define a true Montessori school. At Dukesbridge, we combine certain elements of Montessori with other teaching pedagogies such as the Waldorf Steiner and have adapted it to the reality of the modern day society.
A Journey of Refining the Core Value of Education
By putting to the test the why behind everything that we do, we ensure that we constantly optimise our offering. As an illustration, whilst we consider ourselves to be at the forefront of technology, we do not believe that it requires teaching students how to use tablets or iPADs at school – these are better left to be explored at their own pace and in their own time at home under parents’ supervision. In fact, except for Coding which is an extracurricular activity, we do not believe that ICT should be a taught subject.
At Dukesbridge, IT is cross-curricular whereby the use of technology from taking a photo to creating a slideshow based on research done over the internet is embedded into our core subjects. Ultimately, Dukesbridge puts into practice the very thing it teaches our children: not to take anything for granted, question everything with an objective mind and think outside the box. The journey continues to raise a generation of smart leaders and creative trend-setters.
2014
Moka campus launched
2015
Vacoas campus launched
Curepipe Campus Launched
2016
Port Louis campus launched
2017
North Campus Launched
Helvetia Campus Launched
2018
Launch of Dukesbridge Primary (Trianon Campus)
Takeover of Le Cocon Square de Moka (Telfair Campus)
Dukesbridge Schools incorporated into SIKRA Co Ltd
2019
Quatre-Bornes Campus Launched
TAKEOVER OF Smart Start Academy in Nairobi, Kenya (Kitisuru campus)
2020
Launch of Dukesbridge SOUTH CAMPUS
Launch of Dukesbridge East Campus
Launch of Dukesbridge North Primary
The leading network of private schools in Mauritius with a growing presence in East Africa.
Enrol at Dukesbridge?
Because our places are limited, we start taking registrations as early as from when a child is born. Call us for an appointment or email us to find out more about how to join our Dukesbridge family.
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