Career’s Week officially launched |07 June 2022

Preparing students for the world of work

By Sylia Ah-Time

Students must be prepared adequately to make the transition from school to the world of work, the Minister for Education, Dr Justin Valentin, has said.

The minister was speaking at a ceremony hosted by the Mont Fleuri secondary school yesterday to officially launch Career’s Week 2022 which is being held under the theme ‘Our Education: A preparation for our Future’ (‘Nou Ledikasyon: En Preparasyon Pour Nou Lavenir’).

“Today and the remaining days of this week, we will be dealing with one aspect of our curriculum which I personally consider as a weak area, and this is career education,” Minister Valentin noted.

He went on to explain that our education system must be fixed to adjust it to the reality of the world of work so as to prepare the students adequately to make the transition from school to the world of work.

Minister Valentin also mentioned that each student needs to be exposed to realistic experiences and activities.

“Our education system is rather insensitive to change. This is perhaps what we should be focusing on as we re-examine our method and approaches in helping our students to develop their career path,” the minister said.

The launch ceremony yesterday was attended by First Lady Linda Ramkalawan; the Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-François Ferrari; the principal secretary for the department of education sector development John Lesperance; the principal secretary for youth and sports Ralph Jean-Louis; ministry officials; teachers; students and parents.

At the start of the ceremony, some students were dressed up in uniforms worn by people in different professions in Seychelles and each gave a short description of their dream jobs.

The head teacher of Mont Fleuri secondary school, Marc Arissol, stated that “most of the time, attention is put only on academic learning and career education is often neglected”.

He explained that as a result of this, many students end up making career decisions that they are not entirely comfortable with, which is why many workers nowadays do not pursue their career in the fields that they have been trained and have qualified in.

Head teacher Arissol further added that, as educators, it is their job to create different platforms to give students the opportunity to explore the future careers they desire.

“Encourage children to reflect on their careers and expose them to work environments at a young age. This will ensure that they make well-informed career decisions,” Mr Arissol stressed.

Following the recital of a poem and a song performance by the students, the head boy of Mont Fleuri secondary school then addressed the audience.

“As responsible students, we need to properly reflect and make well-informed decisions.”

He emphasised that when students make good career decisions based on their own interest and ability, this benefits them, their families and the development of the country’s economy.

A short role play was acted out by the students, depicting the differences between the futures of students who take their education seriously and those who do not.

At the end of the ceremony, the guests were invited to view an exhibition which had been set up throughout the schools by different companies and post-secondary institutions in Seychelles.

The accompanying photographs show some highlights of the ceremony.

Sylia Ah-Time

Photos by Thomas Meriton