Anse Aux Pins to get back former daycare centre |02 April 2015

A legal process is underway to reclaim the former Anse Aux Pins daycare centre which will then be refurbished and serve parents of the district, it was announced in the National Assembly yesterday.

The Minister for Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Vincent Meriton said R1 million has been earmarked from the budget for the project.

Minister Meriton gave this information when answering a question by the district’s MNA Meggy Marie.

Mr Marie’s question to Minister Meriton was: “Considering the fact that the government is placing a lot of emphasis on early childhood development care and education I want to know what is happening with the process to claim back the district’s former crèche which could be transformed into a daycare centre as the government is in the process of building new daycares in the districts?”.

Claiming that he fully understands the difficulties the Anse Aux Pins district is facing, Minister Meriton informed the Assembly that the Ministry of Land Use and Housing and the Attorney General’s office are undertaking some legal procedures to reclaim the facility and hand it back to the district which plans to transform it into a daycare.

In a supplementary question Mr Marie enquired about any possibility for the process to be speeded up and also whether the government has earmarked a budget for the daycare project.

Minister Meriton replied affirmatively, noting that the process to claim back the facility started in 2011 and pointed out that there is an urgency to finalise it so that the project can be realised.

“R1 million has been earmarked from the budget for the project,” Minister Meriton informed the Assembly.

Noting that the building was several years previously used as a crèche and daycare centre, the purpose for which it was built, elected member for Cascade Charles de Commarmond wanted to know why the government is at present faced with a difficult and complicated legal process to reclaim the facility.

Minister Meriton confirmed that the facility was used for early childhood development but over the years, in collaboration with the district’s authorities, a change of use was agreed which unfortunately has ended in the present state of affairs.

“Lessons learned from this experience is to in the future let facilities be used for the purpose of which they have been built and not change their use,” Minister Meriton pointed out.

Meanwhile Minister Meriton also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the promise made to the people of Seychelles whereby it will ensure our children are at the centre of development by making sure they have a good start in life by having in place the proper early childhood development facilities. To that effect Minister Meriton said a sum of R4.8 million have been earmarked in the budget to build daycare centres at Anse Etoile, Grand Anse Praslin, Anse Aux Pins and Bel Air.