UniSey to offer degree course in social sciences |23 July 2014

Students interested in pursuing tertiary studies in social, youth and community work will be pleased to learn that the University of Seychelles will soon be offering a degree course in that field.

The UniSey has announced that the Bachelor of Social Science course with two streams -- Social Work and Youth & Community Work -- will be launched in September this year.

The Bachelor of Social Science (B Soc Sc) has long been in the planning agenda of the UniSey. Shortly after the launch of the university in 2009, the idea to offer a local degree in the social sciences that would cater to the needs of Seychellois was born. This idea led to several discussions and negotiations between all stakeholders and role players and became further refined over the course of such collaborations.

The programme now being offered comprises two degrees, one in Social Work and another in Youth and Community Work. UniSey recognises the urgency and need for these professional qualifications, but more importantly its launch has been sanctioned by the respective government and non-governmental agencies and the wider Seychellois society vis-à-vis social services agencies.   

The initiative to offer a B Soc Sc degree programme was intensified, in part, due to the launch of the National Social Renaissance: Plan of Action 2012-2016, by the government of Seychelles in 2012 as well as the resolve of UniSey to play a key role in the transformational agenda of Seychellois society.
 
It is however important to visualise the plans to launch the B Soc Sc within the context of other significant developments within the government and non-governmental sectors and the broader society.

To follow-up on the vision of improved opportunities for human resource development, several governmental and non-governmental departments were contacted for their opinion and comments about the proposed programme. Positive feedback was received from several ministries and departments. Some agencies even mentioned the difficulty in recruiting social service professionals with appropriate skills and stated that the need for such skills appears to be steadily increasing.
 
The potential impact of this long-term skills gap on institutions in the Seychelles is likely to result in deficiencies in addressing the more severe social problems that negatively impacts individuals, families and communities.

There is little doubt that the organs of society such as the family, community, civil society, religious organisations and educational institutions are affected by increasing social problems.

This is a grave concern as the country’s pressing social problems include substance abuse, drug trafficking, crime and prostitution (National Social Renaissance Action Plan, 2012-2016).

Seychellois society is changing due to many factors. With this growing complexity of Seychellois society new social issues and problems emerge.  This increases the burden on the taken for granted support systems such as the family and extended kinship as they now have to cope with new pressures.

The reality is that families need additional support, usually of a professional nature to help them cope and thus prevent the weakening of existing informal family support networks and the threat of family and community stability.

When families are at risk of losing their influence and power, other social ills are likely to increase, such as drug abuse, alcohol and mental health problems.

As old problems increase and new ones emerge, it becomes a costly burden for all concerned -- families, communities and the government.
Inevitably, as this trend grows the demand for more highly trained social service professionals will increase if not now, in the future.

The launch of the National Social Renaissance Action Plan 2012-2016 by the government is a pivotal turning point for Seychellois society as it aims to create opportunities for its past, present and future workforce to be highly skilled in what can be considered a challenging social environment.

As Seychelles has for a long time relied on its workforce to be trained outside of the country, it has depended on the importation of workforce skills for the delivery of social services.  

However, the timing is right now more than ever to grasp the opportunity to provide higher education focusing on professional qualifications within the country.

The B Soc Sc will add to the existing career options available to students within Seychelles.  Local governmental and non-governmental agencies engaged in the provision of social services are set to benefit from the proposed programme through the opportunity for further professional development of the existing workforce. Those seeking to take part in continuing professional development will enjoy the benefits of career advancement and progression and the added bonus of increased earning power of a higher degree qualification.

Equally important to the social service profession will be the availability of newly locally trained professionals.
The availability of the Bachelor of Social Science locally will also ensure that a larger number of students will be able to avail of this professional qualification either part-time or full-time.   

Ultimately the goal is to develop an educational (degree) programme that is locally relevant yet meets international standards.

The Bachelor of Social Science has been developed in line with global educational standards for both Social Work and Youth & Community Work and will seek international recognition through the process of international accreditation.

The National Social Renaissance Action Plan 2012-2014 unequivocally acknowledges this need for a “major investment in the training and recruitment of service providers in the field of education, health, social, probationary and prison services as well as in the treatment and rehabilitation of substance abusers…”
The logical outcome is for both government and non-governmental agencies to address the question of the delivery of professional social services to cater for the welfare and wellbeing of Seychellois society. This in turn will enable citizens to fulfill their citizenship and civic roles and responsibilities in society.

The benefits of providing the Bachelor of Social Science will meet career aspirations of individuals. However, more importantly, this achievement will far outweigh personal aspirations of individuals to include the collective benefit for society as mentioned above.
 
It is this raison d’être that surpasses all other for investing in the professional training and education of social service workers who can make a difference to the quality of life of the citizens of Seychelles.

The Bachelor of Social Science not only promises to meet the need for ongoing professional development, it will also ensure that there is a steady flow of newly trained social service professionals to meet the ongoing demand for a professionally trained future workforce.  

In reality this means that the existing workforce needs to avail of continuing professional development to learn new knowledge and skills relevant to keep pace with the current and changing social circumstances.

The UniSey shares a strategic role with the government in addressing the issue of the education and training of skilled personnel. That both government and UniSey are driven by the vision to not only close the knowledge gap, but to ensure that Seychellois people are entitled to high quality and standards of services is a significant step forward for Seychelles.

For the task of developing highly trained professionals the focus must shift to UniSey as universities are the drivers of change responding to the changing labour market needs.

According to the pro chancellor, UniSey is dedicated to developing an education and training programme that meets local market needs according to international standards. Its focus is not only on capacity building and human resource development but generating new knowledge specifically which benefits society at large.  Hence UniSey’s key role in the process of social change and development is highly prized. To this end UniSey’s role to generate a knowledge-based society is a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of civil society and to a new legion of professionals. This significant development will give Seychelles the opportunity to confidently showcase their “home grown” expertise while reducing their dependency on international education and training institutions.

The Bachelor of Social Science offered in Social Work and Youth & Community Work promises to be an esteemed locally developed and delivered professional degree programme that is highly relevant and meets the needs of Seychellois society.

Suffice to say, it will comply with international standards ensuring a high level of education which will qualify graduates to practice locally and internationally.  

This locally based professional qualification will have wider ramifications for the development of Seychellois society as well as in fulfilling the National Social Renaissance Action Plan.

Not least of all the Bachelor of Social Science promises to develop an intellectually stimulating education and training environment with sound academic principles and values that will attract a great deal of interest in Seychelles, the Indian Ocean region and hopefully internationally as well.

Application is now open for the B Soc Sc at the UniSey. Interested parties are invited to contact the registration office on 438-1232 for further details. Application forms can be downloaded from www.unisey.ac.sc.

Contributed