Department of employment’s productivity unit poem competition Contestants rewarded |05 October 2019

Winners in a souvenir photo with guests

During this year’s Productivity Week, the productivity unit in the Ministry of Employment, Immigration and Civil Status in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development launched a poem competition under the theme ‘My Seychelles, My Work, My Responsibility’ (‘Mon Sesel, Mon Travay, Mon Responsabilite’)

Those who took part in the competition were awarded yesterday afternoon in a short ceremony at the Carrefour des Arts in Victoria. In attendance were the Minister for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status, Miriam Telemaque, the principal secretary of tertiary education and human resources development, Dr Linda Barallon, the chief executive of Airtel, Amadou Dina amongst other guests.

“The aim of the competition was to promote and foster awareness on the importance of productivity at an early age,” said Marie-Vonne Francis, who heads the productivity unit within the employment department.

She added that it was an opportunity for the students to reflect on the mentioned theme, come up with innovative and creative ideas on how to use the theme in their own perspective through the poem competition. Furthermore the productivity unit in the department of employment wanted the students to take part in conceptualising things associated with productivity.

“It is a good strategy to get students acquainted to productivity issues at the earliest of age so that the concept carries through them to adult life,” Ms Francis said.

The competition was open to all students of primary, secondary and professional centres in Seychelles. For this year’s competition a total of 166 poems were submitted. One hundred (100) poems were from primary schools with Anse Royale primary school submitting a total of 49 entries. As for secondary schools there were 64 poems submitted and Anse Royale secondary school recorded the highest number of entries with 25. On the other hand, the organisers received only two entries – Greg Bradburn and Rachel Payet – from the professional centres.

“When I heard about the competition I was interested in participating and show my creativity as an artist,” said Greg.

He described his poem as an homage to the past.

There were three prizes – first, second and third – in each of the three categories.