Independent School gears up for its forthcoming 30th anniversary next year |11 September 2023

Guests viewing the exhibition

The Independent School held a special event at its premises, Union Vale, on Saturday afternoon to kick start an exciting year of celebrations leading up to its 30th anniversary event to be celebrated on Saturday, August 3, 2024.

The small gathering, which saw the unveiling of the 30th anniversary logo and theme song, as well as an exhibition tracing the school’s history, was attended by President Wavel Ramkalawan; the Minister for Education, Dr Justin Valentin; the Minister for Finance, National Planning & Trade, Naadir Hassan; the principal secretary for Education Services, Merna Eulentin; the principal secretary for Education Sector Development, John Lesperance.

Also present were the chairperson of the school’s board of directors, Radley Weber; chairperson of the school’s board of governors, Margueritte Mancienne, as well as other board members, shareholders, teachers, students and other guests including past principals namely Zotique Pragassen, Patrick Berlouis and Dr Sherley Marie.

Apart from the unveiling of the logo drawn by the school’s 18-year-old A-Level student, Taral Bhasadia, and the performance of the theme song ‘I love my school’ composed by  8-year-old Eric Lebon, which kicked off the celebrations on Saturday, the school will next month host a special afternoon tea on Thursday, October 5 for current and retired teachers with ten years of service or more.

The school’s Parents Teachers’ Association will also be organising a family fun day on Saturday, September 30, while the school’s alumni will host a special cocktail evening towards the end of the year.

Other events planned for next year include an exhibition showcasing the school’s  history, a thanksgiving service, a talent show, a performance of the musical ‘Mamma Mia’ by secondary students, the opening of a commemorative regalia shop and the opening of new sports facilities at Ile Du Port.

Addressing the gathering, the school’s principal, Andy Esparon, who gave an overview of the school’s achievements to date, said that the successes recorded through the many changes done over the years, were thanks to the support of those who have invested in the school especially the shareholders, parents and of course the teachers, among others.

He noted that the biggest achievement by the school since its inception was its expansion, which attracted students from all backgrounds in the country while it continued to build its reputation as an outstanding academic institution, achieving excellent results in Cambridge international  examinations every year.

“I would like on behalf of the school to express our thanks to you all past and present for continuing to believe in Independent School as a leader of Education in the Seychelles,” said Mr Esparon, who noted they will also be reaching out to colleagues in other private schools and the Ministry of Education to explore prospects of collaboration during this anniversary year.

Speaking about the conception and setting up of the school, founder and first director, Mr Pragassen, said it first started to take pupils in May 1993, following a change in the law to allow Seychellois children to attend private schools.

There were 60 students to start with and by April of 1994 it had expanded and was taking in students right up to secondary three, prior to inauguration on August 3, 1994.

By 1996, the school offered classes from kindergarten right up to S5 and moved from one to three streams due to increasing demand and oversubscription, especially in the early years and primary sections.

In August 2015, the school inaugurated its brand new secondary/A-level campus at Ile du Port. Independent School has been offering A-level classes for ten years. Prior to February 2013, students who completed S5 had to enrol for their A-Level classes at the School of Advanced Level Studies (Sals), which is a state’s school or at the International School in Mont Fleuri.

Independent School has over 1080 students supported by over 150 members of staff. Mr Pragassen thanked the founding shareholders and others who joined later for their investments in the school and to forgo their dividends for re-investments which has helped to improve the school.

“I sincerely believe we owe them a debt of gratitude for continuing to support what they believe to be a noble cause, our children’s education,” Mr Pragassen said.

During Saturday’s event, winners of the logo and song competition launched in May 2023 were rewarded. Other than first prize winner, Ms Bhasadia, for the logo,  Omera Mathieu and Chrina Gonthier were also rewarded as second and third prize winners respectively.

Eric Lebon was the only winner for the song competition.

Ms Bhasadia said that it took her less than 30 minutes to design the logo given that she had some ideas about it while eight-year-old Eric, who plays the keyboard, said that he drafted a few words and composed and recorded a song with the help of his mother and music teacher.

Patrick Joubert