New Glacis primary school inaugurated |28 March 2016

The newly constructed primary school at Glacis was inaugurated last Thursday by Vice-President Danny Faure and the Minister for Education Macsuzy Mondon.

Before that, Minister Mondon and the Chinese ambassador to Seychelles Yin Lixian had signed documents to mark the official handover of the school to the Seychelles government.

The inauguration ceremony were animated by songs and poems by the children dedicated to their school and ‘témoignages’ by former teachers on the personal fulfillment and importance of being a teacher.

The children also presented a token of appreciation to Mrs Yin.

The new school was later blessed by the parish priest.

The new school, which has cost R60 million, was built by Shenyang Construction and sponsored by the government of the People’s Republic of China under the China Shenyang International Economic and Technical Corporation Limited. It caters for pupils of Sorento, Vista do Mar, l’Ilot, Machabée, Carana and part of North East Point.

Also present at the inauguration ceremony were other government ministers, members of the National Assembly, other dignitaries, staff and pupils.

During the ceremony, the Ministry of Education launched a campaign entitled ‘Ledikasyon Mon Zanfan, Mon Devwar’, with the objective of engaging parents as co-educators in the learning process of their children.

The campaign, which will run over a period of two years, is under the responsibility of the governance of schools.  A different theme will be used every two months and promotional activities will be organised by all schools.

It was Merida Delcy, the principal secretary for Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary Education, who officially launched the campaign.

Ambassador Yin acknowledged the full cooperation of the government of Seychelles and various stakeholders during the construction of the school which she said showed the great importance the government places towards education. 

“Today standing in front of us is a beautiful school offering a conducive learning environment for the children of this district,” she said.

Mrs Yin also referred to the history and friendship between Seychelles and China established since 1976 based on equality and mutual respect and mentioned other projects undertaken by her government in Seychelles which are proof of such cooperation.

As for the head teacher of the school, Vivienne Prea, her message to the children was for them to take great care of the school and be responsible in their learning. She described the new Glacis school as a majestic structure catching the attention of passers-by and said it is fast becoming a landmark in the district.

“However it is what happens in that great building in terms of learning outcomes that makes the whole difference. We are therefore fully committed to developing a culture of hard work that will bring results to justify this considerable investment by the government,” said Mrs Prea.

Minister Mondon remarked that Glacis school is the third primary school that the Ministry of Education has had the pleasure to open in the last five years, describing it as a significant achievement for a small island state with limited resources like ours.

“The opening of this new school is not only a proud moment for the parents, teachers, children and the residents of Glacis, but for Seychelles as a whole. As we celebrate our accomplishments we must also engage on some serious and honest reflection on the education of our nation’s children and its implication for each and every one of us,” she said.

She urged the children to take their studies seriously, parents to become more involved in their children’s education and teachers to know the needs of the new generation and show dedication in their work.