Follow us on:

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

Archive -Education

Brent Bonnes offers teacher training scholarship |17 September 2014

Brent Bonnes has made available a teaching scholarship to a Seychellois student to study abroad to train as a teacher.
The applicant will then have to return to work at the Independent School.

To mark his 25 years of association with Seychelles, Mr Bonnes, who is from J. Galt International of Western Cape, South Africa, said he wanted to make a contribution as a gesture of gratitude for all what the country means to him.

“Every visitor gets to see the beauty of these islands, but I have been privileged to make friends with some amazing people and experience the Seychellois way of life through the generosity and hospitality of its people.

“I have always viewed the teaching profession as among the noblest pursuits – for the person who follows a calling and excels as a teacher is able to influence and change so many young lives for the better. The impact of one good teacher in shaping and moulding a group of young persons can quite literally be felt generations later,” he said.

Mr Bonnes said he has asked Patrick Berlouis, the director of the International School, and a selection committee that will be set up, to handle the administrative process of selection. This is because of his recent involvement with the school, especially in the development of the Ile du Port campus.

He has requested that the bursary be made available to all qualifying Seychellois students and not limited to Mr Berlouis’ charges of the Independent School.
 He has selected three criteria for the selection process and the most important one, and what he considers the most difficult, is whether the applicant has a genuine calling to be a teacher.

The second one is the financial situation of the applicant.
“It is a sad reality of the world we live in, that often individuals of ability are denied the opportunity to develop due to lack of access to resources,” he said.

The third and final criterion is the academic ability of the student. The candidate will have to show that he/he has the potential to excel in his/her course of study.

Mr Bonnes said he has no doubt that the school would wish to have a teacher of calibre to join its ranks.

“I have always been extremely impressed with the way Seychelles provides for its people’s health and educational needs, but there will, of course, always be further need in these sectors, and I hope in my small way to contribute to the existing efforts as part of the country’s localisation plans,” said Mr Bonnes.

Elaborating on his scholarship proposal and why Independent School was chosen as the selection point, Mr Bonnes said he first came to Seychelles in 1989 to work for Seychelles Hotels, which was a parastatal company that managed a number of hotels on Mahe and Praslin.

He studied horticulture and landscaping. After completing his three-year contract here he returned to South Africa and worked for a company that supplied pharmaceuticals to the Ministry of Health.

After gaining invaluable experience in this position, he took a break from secular work and completed a Master’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Cape Town. He then established a trading company that continues to trade with Europe, USA, the Far East and Africa.

Because of its size, Seychelles has always been a relatively small part of my business but however he said it fills a large part of his heart. He has over the years taken every opportunity to visit – making at least six to eight trips each year.

Why Independent School?

“The reason I have asked Independent School to administer the selection process is because in my business dealing with the school, I have been impressed with their organisation and administrative skills. I travel too much to be in a position to micro-manage the process, and they have kindly agreed to set up a committee to oversee the selection of candidates and disbursement of funds. The benefit to their organisation is that the successful candidate will be required to serve an internship at the school upon completion of his/her studies,” he said.

Mr Bonnes said it is very important to emphasise that the scholarship is not elitist. He has asked Independent School to administer the process only. The opportunity is available to all Seychellois students from state and private schools.

Regarding a candidate’s genuine calling to become a teacher, which is some very difficult to know, Mr Bonnes said it is almost impossible to do so with any certainty.

“What is certain though is that the successful candidate will have an opportunity to change his/her life. Hopefully the individual remains in the teaching profession, but even if this is not the case, his/her life and that of his/her family will change for the better,” he said.
Mr Bonnes wishes the initiative gains traction, so that it is not a one-off donation.

“I am hoping that once the initial process has been established, we will be able to set up a trust to sponsor more students in future. In my experience there are a number of business people in Seychelles who will willingly contribute to a cause – but they want to be sure that their donations are being well utilised and that tangible results will be evident.

“If the organising committee can establish confidence in the process, then I have no doubt that we will be able to set something in motion that will benefit many Seychellois for generations to come,” said Mr Bonnes.

He added: “I am reminded of the proverbial saying which suggests that the ability to work is of greater benefit than a one-off handout – ‘give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime’."

» Back to Archive