Indian HC donates reading materials to primary schools on Praslin |12 October 2022

“As a past school counsellor, I understand the difficulties of the school in securing adequate teaching and learning materials, especially reading materials. It is for that reason that I wrote to four different embassies with the request for support with some reading materials for our primary school. I was overjoyed to receive a positive response from the Indian high commission and today we received the donation to which we are very grateful.”

Christina Confait, mother of Samuel Confait of Grand Anse Praslin primary, shared this at a small ceremony organised for the handing over of reading materials to Grand Anse Praslin and Baie Ste Anne primary schools by the Indian high commission.

Both schools received 193 books which include story books, encyclopaedias, research books and general knowledge books mainly focussed on the Indian culture.

It was Gautam Kumar Biswas, second secretary at the high commission of India who officially handed over the books to pupils from both schools in the presence of Grand Anse Praslin primary school head teacher Lina Lesperance, Baie Ste Anne primary school council chair Agnes Quatre, several teachers, pupils and Mrs Confait herself at the Grand Anse primary school last week.

On behalf of all pupils, Hibah Valentin, a P6 pupil from Grand Anse Praslin primary, thanked the high commission for the generous contribution.

“These materials will surely help to develop our English vocabulary and increase our general knowledge. It will encourage us to read more and we are very thankful for them,” said Hibah who particularly enjoys history books and was interested in a set of exploration books which she believes will also interest many of her peers.

On the other hand, Ky-ron Port-Louis of Baie Ste Anne primary school, who enjoys fishing and sports related books, was particularly intrigued by a ‘Tarzan’ book with colourful pictures and fun texts. Ky-ron also expressed his appreciation for such a gesture and although he prefers to read at home he vowed to make good use of these materials during school hours as well.

When asked for his impression of the ceremony, Mr Gautam had this to share:
“Today, we are here on behalf of the government of India and the High Commission of India in Seychelles, to officially hand over a donation of books for the kids of primary schools on Praslin. I feel very honoured to be here and after meeting the teachers and staff from these schools, I am very pleased with the performance of the schools. The infrastructure is also very good and it looks very nice.”

He also shared that the reading materials donated are mostly appropriate for kids and he believes they will greatly enjoy them. As they go through, it will motivate them to read more and develop good reading habits. He also hopes that these materials will help them develop physically, mentally and spiritually so that they can become good citizens of Seychelles in the future and contribute to the country’s national development.

It was Mrs Confait who sought the help of the Indian high commission who agreed to assist both state primary schools on the island. Being very close to her son’s class teacher, Mrs Confait often discusses her son’s development as well as the needs of the classroom. It was there that she deduced that there was a lack of reading materials.

“At such tender age, children are developing their ability to read, develop their knowledge, pronunciation and vocabulary. As much as the Ministry of Education would like to provide everything for the schools, resources are often scarce so it is always good when other partners can also lend a helping hand. As Praslin is a very small island, we often find ourselves knocking on the same doors for all requests so I thought of seeking help from various embassies who might be in a better position to assist. I took the initiative and wrote to four different embassies. The Indian high commission was the first to respond and I remain hopeful that the others will also be responsive. As a parent, I know the needs of the school so I thought why not take this responsibility to see how I can personally do my part and seek help for the needs of others, in this case our children,” said Mrs Confait.

Mrs Confait is convinced that both staff and pupils will make good use of these resources which shall help various levels.

Text and photos: Nadia Bedier