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Teenagers voice their take on forthcoming elections |19 October 2020

Teenagers voice their take on forthcoming elections

Only three days left for the most eagerly awaited general elections (presidential and legislative), a few teenagers we contacted give their views on this important event. They are too young to vote, but old enough to follow current affairs of the country. They have a strong opinion about things and they want their voice to be heard. We asked them what they want to see in terms of the education of the population and about their future employment. Here’s what they have to say:

 

Dwayne Antat (14 yrs, S3): As we saw in the debates, all politicians are putting a lot of emphasis on education and the future of the young generation. No matter who comes in power, they need to do whatever is needed for the education of our youngsters. They all want us to move forward in life and if they want us to become like them, we need the support in our education system. They will be the ones who will help facilitate access to education mainly for those living far.

Regarding employment, with the current situation, it is not so easy for young people to have a new job like before. Whoever comes in power, I want them to push Seychellois to take up available jobs and limit the number of expatriate workers.

 

Christie Rath (16 yrs, S5): For me I expect to see the level of education rise as in the last few years the results speak for themselves. But as a student, I will say that one of the main reasons is a lack of Seychellois teachers. When we see right now most of the political parties have put teachers as their candidates! I do not like it as they are fighting to have more Seychellois teachers but they are taking our teachers and turn them into members of the National Assembly. Of course this will affect the system! There are also many students who are not academically apt. We need to help them to get into a job training as of S1 as many of them are just sitting in the classes without understanding anything. The government has to look into innovative measures for this specific group of children as they will contribute a lot to the economy if done properly.

Concerning employment, we understand that we have expatriates in our country to make up for the lack of human resources due to drugs and alcohol! But if we keep employing expats, we will end up in situations where more Seychellois are unemployed. We have to force our people to get into employment and bring a revenue at home!

 

Sebastien Faure (16 yrs, S5): One of the urgent things they need to do is to value our teachers and give the teachers and students the support to do what they want to accomplish. Right now, our education system has been affected by poverty and different factors. We have some students who cannot attend schools due to their situation at home. I expect whoever wins, help in eradicating the social ills.

Well, Seychelles right now, whoever is elected should value our workers and give them more opportunities. More Seychellois should be employed also. Currently we have our youth who go to study abroad and on their return they have difficulties in finding appropriate jobs in their fields. This also impact our economy and the future of our country.

 

Petra Volcère (16 yrs, S5): We want to see a higher level of education in Seychelles, mainly in terms of resources that we students get to work with. The world is advancing and we need to find other ways to teach our students and make teaching more fun at schools. I also want a government that values our teachers more so that they get the moral and financial support to continue to teach. This will also encourage the young Seychellois to take up the teaching profession as currently we have quite a number of expatriate teachers and many children cannot communicate well in English or French. Another way also is to get the community involved in the education of the children. We have to work in collaboration to see where the challenges are and how to tackle them and nurture our youth and children. With these innovations I am sure the education level will automatically rise!

Regarding employment, we do have opportunities but it is mainly geared towards a few sectors. We need to have the appropriate opportunities for us to grow and flourish!

 

Ellora Moncherry (16 yrs, S5):There are complaints out there that we students are not performing as well as previous years! But after so many years, we can also see the amount of effort put forward by the Ministry of Education to bring all the schools to the same level. The new government should continue the job and improve on what we have. We are all getting a chance for free education and opportunities are here for us to grab.

Depending on what course we receive, I know that we will not get a job immediately in the sector that we want. Not all organisations can take freshly graduated students and also have money to pay us.

 

Dwayne Ah-Time (16 yrs, S5): I would like to see more Seychellois teachers in the schools. I believe that this plays a role in the development and understanding of the children. May be this will bring more love and understanding in the schools and help the children grow and choose teaching as a career.

Konmela pa bokou manrmay ki kontan pran sa karyer akoz zot vwar ki kantite problenm ansennyan i pas ladan. No one wants to have a career where there is a lot of problems.

In terms of employment, there is a lack of choice after S5. Many youths want to go to business school or tourism but we need more diversification in our choices.

 

Marius Julie (16 yrs, S5): I would like to have more sports and extra-curricular activities in the schools. I have been working since I am in S1 as a boat boy and I do my schooling at the same time. I like this system and this can help students who are not interested in academic studies. The government should look into this more seriously.

 

Anel Charles (16 yrs, S5): Well, the government should be more serious with our education system and they have to help the children move forward. The students should be able to become independent in their studies and not rely only on their teachers. For now, we need more qualified Seychellois as teachers.

The world of work is ok for now, but the cost of living is getting higher. Nowadays you have to possess a certificate to get a job. Unfortunately many youths are leaving schools and I feel that they were not properly guided. The government should help this group by trying to place them in jobs.

 

Compiled by Vidya Gappy

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