All students can use Lions’ internet cafes |03 November 2007

In a note addressed to Nation, Mr Ramani said that the modalities for the operation of the centres are being worked out by the club and scouts officials.

Speaking during the official opening of the café in Victoria recently, the club president called the installation of such centres on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue a landmark project.

“The Lions feel much honoured to join hands with the Seychelles Scouts, Cable & Wireless and Paradise Computers to launch this new project, dedicated for the students and youths of this country,” he said.

He noted that the Lions Club and the scouts have common ideologies in developing the youth, whom he said have excellent potentials hidden in them.
“It is our endeavour to dig out those potentials and encourage the youth to develop their wisdom and skills.

“This is a project by the Lions Club of Paradise Seychelles to set up an internet centre for the use of the students and youth who cannot otherwise afford for such facilities of their own,” he said, adding that the main aim of the project is to make the internet and communication facilities available and accessible to as many students as possible.

“This would give them an opportunity to widen their knowledge in the field of their studies and encourage a self-learning system. The students will be able to have access to various internet sites on science and technology to take references, which would help them in their classroom assignments and much beyond.

“Moreover in these modern times, the younger generation are getting drifted to various sorts of social evils like use of drugs, alcohol and violence etc. Our project will be an attempt to provide the student community a better and useful alternative to spend their spare time,” Mr Ramani said, expressing appreciation to the scouts for extended their
 support when the project was proposed to them.

When making his remarks, Chief Scout Shelton Jolicoeur said that in the recent past, the Scouts Association has built a close partnership with the Lions Club.

“This partnership has generated new development ideas for helping the young people of Seychelles achieve their full development.

“The Scouts Association would also like to thank our commercial sponsor Cable & Wireless Seychelles for their support in providing free internet access and also for dealing with all the technical issues
 surrounding the set up of this internet centre for the youth,” he said.

Scouting and computers

Scouting and computers are two words that “many people don’t think go
 together at all,” Mr Jolicoeur said.

 “One being concerned with camping, wilderness, doing good turns and
 learning skills to survive life.  The other being concerned with electricity consumption, the indoors, clean, safe, geeky, necessary and essential for surviving life.

“In the formal education environment information communications technology (ICT) is not just computers and the internet.  It is concerned with all current and emerging information communication technology tools including e-mail, web pages, cellular and wireless communication, digital cameras, movies, audio and so on.  The list is growing all the time,” the chief scout said.

With the mainstream emphasis on the learning of ICT in schools, scouts have a role to play in extending the non-formal educational setting and the scouts said that they were happy that support for that type of communication came from both the state and from the business.

“This is testified by the support we receive from our Patron Mr James Michel the President of Seychelles, the presence among us of ministers, government officials and leaders of the business community. They seek to ensure that the emerging work force in Seychelles is one that is clearly part of the knowledge-based society a journey which Seychelles has already begun,” Mr Jolicoeur said, adding that scouting and technology
 are entirely compatible.

The managing director (MD) of Cable & Wireless, Charles Hammond, recalled  that Seychelles recently launched its Information Technology policy, and that Information Communication Technology is a vital component in promoting sustainable development in improving the quality of life of its people, and that Cable & Wireless is proud to be associated with the internet café project.

He said that ICT is a vital component in promoting sustainable development and improving the quality of life of the people.

“Earlier this year, we partnered with the Ministry of Education and embarked on a programe billed as, ‘Broadcast for schools.’

“This is part of our corporate social responsibility and represents a three-year investment programmeof more than R1.3 million.

“Today we take a step forward. This venture with the Lions’ Club of Paradise Seychelles and the Seychelles Scouts Association highlights our desire to invest in youth for the betterment of the country,” he said.