His Excellency, Mr. Dharambeer Gokhool
His Excellency Mr. Dharambeer Gokhool—widely known as Dharam Gokhool—is a distinguished statesman whose illustrious career spans across academia, public service, and politics. Born on October 25, 1949, in Plaines des Roches, Mauritius, he began his education at Roches Noires Government School and Mapou Government School before completing secondary studies at Northern College and St. Andrews School.
President Gokhool earned a BA (Hons) in History with Economics and an MBA from the University of Delhi, India, followed by an MSc in Human Resources from the University of Salford, Manchester, UK. His academic career includes pivotal roles at the University of Mauritius, where he served as Associate Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law and Management.
In this realm, his teaching specialties comprise notably: Human Resources Management, People Management in Organisations, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Individual in Human Resource Management.
He has also taught Employment Relations and Employment Laws, Human Resource Development (HRD) and Organisation Development (OD), Training and Development, and Performance Evaluation.
During his tenure as Dean of Faculty, President Gokhool also served as a Member of the University Senate and of the University Court. In 1998, he served as a Member of the University Council as Deans’ Representative, for a period of six months.
From 2001 to 2005, he served as the Chairman of the Mauritian Institute of Management and in 2007, was made Honorary Fellow of this reputable institute. His efforts and significant contribution to education and academic leadership, driven by his commitment towards social betterment, have received international recognition. In 2008, he was bestowed the prestigious title of Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French government.
His Excellency Mr Dharambeer Gokhool’s contributions and service to the people of Mauritius extend beyond academia. Beginning his political career in 1976, he served as an elected member of Parliament during multiple terms, notably from 1982–1983, 1987-1991, and 1991-1995. He equally served as the Mayor of Vacoas / Phoenix from 1990-1991.
As the Minister of Education and Human Resources (2005-2008) and later Minister of Industry, Science and Research (2008-2010), he played a pivotal role in shaping key sectors in Mauritius via the implementation of transformative policies which were geared towards national development under the Labour government.
One such key policy remains the re-establishment of Form I to Form VI colleges in Mauritius, which enabled “non-star” colleges to retain bright talents and redouble their efforts to improve quality, in turn democratising the traditional elite and enhancing the standard of education offered by these secondary educational institutions. The policy constituted a major breakthrough in terms of social mobility, enabling students from deprived socio-economic backgrounds and enrolled in “non-star” colleges, mostly rural institutions, to excel under the laureate scheme and be rewarded on a meritocratic basis.
His Excellency Mr Dharambeer Gokhool was unanimously elected as the President of the Republic of Mauritius by the National Assembly on 6 December, 2024 and was sworn in on 7 December, 2024. Prior to becoming Head of State, he served as a member of the University of Mauritius Ethics Committee.
President Dharambeer Gokhool is married to Brinda Gokhool and has two children. His late father, Manilall Gokhool, was a labourer and late mother, Koshila Gokhool, a homemaker. One of his inspirations is Mr Abdool Raman Kasenally, the former Headmaster of Roches Noires primary school, whose support and guidance were instrumental in shaping his ethical ideals and opportunities for further studies. President Gokhool remains committed to values of leadership, mentorship, humanity, resilience and excellence.