New term, new changes |19 January 2018
• ‘A better education system is a must if we are to progress as a nation’
Head teachers, directors of professional centres, school council members and parents teachers association chairpersons gathered for their annual meeting yesterday morning.
During the session held at the Seychelles Institute for Teacher Education (Site), the principal secretary for early childhood, primary and secondary education, Odile De Comarmond announced the 12 new and transferred head teachers for primary and secondary schools.
They are Jacqueline Celestine (Anse Etoile primary), Marcella Belle (Anse Royale primary), Jane Laurette (Bel Eau primary), Nadia Marcel (La Retraite primary), Danielle Antat (Mont Fleuri primary), Thérèse Athanase (Plaisance primary), Bergitta Labonte (Anse Royale secondary), Phillip Morel (Beau Vallon secondary), Steve Hoarau (English River secondary), Marc Arrisol (Mont Fleuri secondary) and Cecile Marcel (Ile Perseverance secondary).
Education and Human Resource Development Minister Joel Morgan briefed those in attendance on some of the ministry’s achievements in 2017 which included revision of the teacher’s scheme of service which now makes provision for marketable skills allowance for qualified teachers and an inducement allowance for un-certificated teachers and teachers’ assistants.
The minister also mentioned its series of public meetings conducted in the last quarter of 2017 which yielded suggestions and ideas that the ministry is currently considering in its 2018-2022 strategic plan as well as the subsequent amendment to the Education Bill by the National Assembly in December 2017.
He stated that the revised Act will provide a more modern and robust legal framework for a better education system and introduce regulations that will further clarify the obligations of parents, schools, teachers and school leadership.
“The impact of those regulations will depend largely on their implementation at the level of the educational institutions,” Minister Morgan emphasised.
But much more than looking into the achievements of the previous year, Minister Morgan also extensively detailed new initiatives of 2018 that set to change, if not ameliorate, the public educational systems.
Chief among those changes is the reform which will make schools autonomous in respect to administration and finances.
“Educational institutions will become more transparent in their operations and accountable for their results as the ministry devolves more authority onto them through a new system of school governance.”
Minister Morgan insisted that the ministry expects that this new form of governance will create more result-oriented institutions:
“I expect that you do not put up with mediocrity anymore. I expect that you work with your staff that is underperforming, not to punish them but to work with them to help them improve.”
2018 will also see the ministry focusing heavily on the training and human resource development in order to improve the quality of existing teachers and in attracting new teachers.
These include a soon-to-be introduced Masters’ degree course in educational leadership offered by Site in collaboration with the University of Seychelles, University of Mauritius and the Commonwealth of Learning and training for in-service teachers not holding a diploma level qualification.
Additionally the ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry for Family Affairs, will be setting up a centre for students with behavioural problems who cannot remain in the school environment in the coming year.
Minister Morgan concluded by stating that we all have to appreciate that education is a partnership and its outcomes have a serious impact on our society.
“Hence we will need the continued support of all our partners to meet our targets. A better education system is a must if we are to progress as a nation,” he said.
