School councils to boost supportfrom community |06 January 2010
He said the new councils will help the schools function more effectively as they will promote good relations between parents and management.
“The council will also help schools to get more resources and there will be representatives not only from the ministry, but parents and other people in the community will be actively involved,” he added.
Mr Shamlaye said each council will be made up of the headteacher, teachers, a chairperson and representatives from the parent-teacher association.
Their function will be to bring the community closer to the schools for the benefit of the children and to ensure they perform better, he added.
“We will monitor these activities and later evaluate them to ensure the council makes a difference in the functioning of our schools,” said the minister.
Regarding the other education reforms, Mr Shamlaye said about 5,000 staff from all schools are now attending a series of workshops – at the ex-National Institute of Education on numeracy and literacy in early childhood; at Mont Fleuri secondary school on the pastoral care system; and at the ministry’s training room on school governance.
All these training sessions are scheduled to end on Thursday January 14.
Mr Shamlaye said this year in the early childhood curriculum at primary one level, a new reading scheme entitled Aprann lir avek papiyon (Learn to Read with Butterfly) is being introduced.
This scheme started last year with children in the second year of crèche, and the ministry has decided to extend it to the primary level.
The minister said the new education reforms are focusing on five main components – a review of the early childhood curriculum, quality of education, quality of teaching, school governance and the pastoral care system.
And he added that next year the ministry will review the secondary school structure and curriculum.
Talking about the pastoral care component, he said it is vital as all schools should have an environment that is conducive for teachers and students to work in.
Through the pastoral care system, the aim is to improve the school environment, meaning the relations between teachers and students, teachers and management and contact with parents.
Mr Shamlaye said cooperation and respect are important in all schools, and the new whole-school behaviour policy to be introduced soon calls on the community to play its role and be involved in the students’ education.
He explained that the reform in school governance will help to improve management as it will define the function of headteachers, teachers and the ministry.
“This reform is needed to keep up with new developments in the education system, and R10 million has been allocated in this year’s budget for the different activities associated with it,” said Mr Shamlaye.
He added that the ministry is doing its best to get the teachers it needs, despite the shortages.
“With new initiatives that have been undertaken in training teachers, we hope more young people will choose to join the profession.”
His ministry will soon meet teachers to explain their new scheme of service to be introduced this month, he added. Teachers should be valued and should feel their profession is vital to the community.
Mr Shamlaye said the University of Seychelles will give more opportunities to our young people.
“Our challenge is to increase the number of young people who can get a higher level of education, and this in turn will help to upgrade our education system and the economy,” he said.
He then wished teachers all the best during the year ahead and assured them that their workload will not increase under the reforms.
Devotion and teamwork are vital, he added, calling on parents to give their full support.