Ministerial visit at SIAD and SBSA |03 July 2020

Education minister meets with management, interact with students

The management staff and students of two professional centres, namely theSeychelles Institute of Art and Design and the Seychelles Business Studies Academy situated at Anse Royale yesterday met with education minister Jeanne Simeon and key officials from the education department to discuss their work and studies programmes, their different initiatives and the challenges they face.

Minister Simeon and her team started their visit at the Seychelles Institute of Art and Design (SIAD) where its principal Christine Chetty Payet took them on a tour of the different classes. Minister Simeon was also able to interact with various students who gave her a rundown of the work they have been doing at the institution.

Talking to Seychelles NATION, Mrs Chetty Payet noted that the visit is a good initiative as it gives them the opportunity to discuss their training programmes as well as their different challenges with the minister.

Mrs Chetty Payet noted that she was able to discuss with the minister some problems that they face at the school such as lack of space and the need to fence off the institution’s compound as it is accessible to anyone who wishes to wander in and out.

The staff members also brought to the attention of the minister their mixed feelings regarding their new service scheme as they say it does not reflect their qualifications.

She added that they were able to talk about the new programmes that the school will be rolling out soon as well as the certification by the Seychelles Qualifications Authority (SQA) of several existing programmes. Mrs Chetty Payet remarked that SIAD will soon be a fully accredited institution.

The principal for SBSA, Josianne Bristol shared the same sentiment as Mrs Chetty Payet by noting that the visit is a good initiative by the minister.

She said they were able to discuss their concerns and challenges such as vulnerable students who do not have the means to follow online classes.

She also noted that they were able to talk to the minister about some of their initiatives at the school, such as the new programme whereby five graduating students got the chance to be employed by the school. They also talked about how SBSA was able to maintain continuous classes during the lockdown.

“This is part of the ministerial visit to schools that I started in 2018 when I assumed the education portfolio. The aim of the visit is to discuss with the management the programmes being offered at both institutions, students’ behaviour and issues related to the three principles of COVID-19 which are hygiene, social distancing and heightened vigilance,” said Minister Simeon.

She added that relating to the COVID-19 precautions, they have discussed these measures and how the students have reacted to them. The minister said she discussed other issues such as staffing, infrastructure and students’ behaviour.

“For the SBSA when they were in confinement, the students were still able to continue their studies compared to SIAD where students were unable to do so as parts of their curriculum comprise practical sessions,” Minister Simeon highlighted.

She noted that students are satisfied with the efforts that teachers made during the lockdown and they understand that they have to put in extra effort to complete the work they have missed. Minister Simeon affirmed that she was quite satisfied with the efforts that both institutions have put in their work after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Meanwhile, Minister Simeon has said her ministry has come up with a new strategic plan for communication that has been reviewed and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. She added that the reasoning behind the new plan is to target partners and stakeholders more effectively.

“The plan revolves on how to communicate with our partners as well as show them the positive aspects of the ministry and keeps them up-to-date with what the ministry is doing as education is a shared responsibility,” noted Minister Simeon.

The new plan also takes into account COVID-19 as the ministry is not able to meet with teachers so they are using other tools such as the media in order to get in touch with parents, teachers and partners.

The accompanying photos show Minister Simeon during her visits at the two professional centres.

Christophe Zialor