Education-All primary teachers are Seychellois |27 May 2005

Minister Danny Faure said this in the National Assembly on Tuesday May 24 when he was answering a question from Honourable Charles Decomarmond about the number of teachers who have resigned over the past five years.

As a result of training given to an increasing number of Seychellois teachers at the National Institute of Education (NIE), the ministry has been able to accelerate its localisation programme, but Minister Faure said there are certain areas which still require the expertise of expatriates.

Minister Faure said altogether there are 1,656 teachers in the education system and out of this there are 134 expatriates teaching in what he described as "critical areas of international significance" in secondary schools and 31 in post secondary institutions teaching highly specialised subjects.

The ministry has also been successful with regards to the training of French teachers and as a result all the posts for the teaching of French in secondary school have also been localised.

Over the past five years he said 196 teachers have resigned for various reasons, the majority of whom have gone to seek greener pastures in developed countries.  The ministry, he said does not take the resignation of teachers lightly and has set up a system whereby teachers who have placed their resignations are met to give their reasons.

The ministry then works out ways to resolve the situation. For example, Minister Faure said the majority of teachers who have resigned from primary schools complained about the work-load.  Normally a primary class has between 25 to 30 pupils.

To alleviate this problem he said the ministry has this year introduced ancillary staff and is in the process of recruiting and providing training to some 200 people to assist primary teachers in class. The ancillary teachers are being trained at the NIE and are getting an allowance of R1,500. At the end of their training they will get permanent employment with the education department.

With regards to the migration of teachers, Minister Faure said this issue will be dealt with by a new protocol and regulations to be made at next year's Commonwealth education conference.