UniSey hosts first international conference on education in small island states |06 July 2015

Policy-makers in education as well as researchers, academics, professional educators from Seychelles and around the world are meeting here in the first international conference to look at education in small island states.

The conference is being organised and hosted by the University of Seychelles (UniSey).

The three-day conference being held under the theme ‘Rethinking Education in Small Island Developing States’ is taking place at the AVANI Seychelles Resort and was officially launched yesterday afternoon by the Minister for Education Macsuzy Mondon.

The opening ceremony was attended by ministers, key education officials as well as other distinguished guests, both local and international.

During the three days the experts in education will exchange knowledge, experience and discuss current education issues, recent development and techniques in education, theories and good practices but also challenges small island states are facing in education.

Among the keynote speakers who will be making presentations at the conference are Prof. Michael Crossley, a comparative and international education coordinator from the Research Centre for International and Comparative Studies in the UK; Prof. Michael Anthony Samuel from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa; Prof. Mark Bray, another comparative education specialist from the University of Hong Kong.

Both international and local speakers will present their research on the conference theme in the form of either a paper or poster.

Welcoming the delegates vice-chancellor of the UniSey, Prof. Dennis Hardy, said it is an important moment for UniSey because for the first time this young university barely six years old has brought a distinguished and diverse gathering of education experts to discuss issues pertaining to education.

“The UniSey started this year with a lot of effort in its research initiatives and decided to focus on areas where we already have skills and which are more important to the nation. Our mission at UniSey is to provide the nation with a source of education training that would assist in the transition towards a knowledge economy,” Prof. Hardy pointed out.

He went on to highlight the different initiatives of the UniSey.

When she addressed delegates and guests Minister Mondon, after giving an overview of education in Seychelles, noted that “the conference will provide a platform for educators to reflect on education and create a unique opportunity for local educators to broaden their horizon”.

Soon after the launch of the conference the first presentation was on educational challenges and opportunities in small territories: the case of Gibraltar presented by Gilbert Licudi, an education expert from the Ministry of Education of Gibraltar.

As part of the programme on the last day of the conference, delegates will have a chance to visit the Anse Boileau primary and secondary schools.

The conference is receiving the support of key partners Cable and Wireless, Air Seychelles and Mason’s Travel.