Inauguration of Baie Ste Anne Primary School-Pupils gifted with life-long present on Children’s Day |04 June 2007
President Michel, accompanied by his spouse Nathalie, had travelled to Praslin on board the newly launched high-speed catamaran Cat Cocos II to entrust the gift to over 500 thankful students, who manifested their joy through various songs, poems and dances.
The new school has cost an estimated $22 million, funded by OPEC and the Seychelles Government.
In his speech before he unveiled the plaque to inaugurate the school, President Michel said that the new Baie Ste Anne Primary School “is another example of the investments that the Government is making in the education of the young generation and the future of our country”.
He added that the Government “will continue to give attention to education, for education is key to our country’s future and our development”.
“In our plan to double national wealth in the next ten years, education and human resources development feature as essential components to help us achieve that goal,” President Michel said.
President Michel noted in his speech that education “also plays a key role in our efforts to preserve and make proper use of our natural environment, which is so important for our major industries and the quality of life in our country”.
He reiterated that education should play a key role in preserving and
For his part, Education Minister Bernard Shamlaye also remarked that the spacious new school that was being inaugurated “is the latest manifestation of the government’s commitment to education and the development and wellbeing of the people of Seychelles”, adding that it is also the latest in an impressive list of developments in education and other sectors seen in the last 30 years.
The minister revealed that besides facilities for implementing the curriculum and co-curricular activities, the new school comprises a crèche and a special needs education unit for children with disabilities, “the first of its kind to exist outside of Mahe”.
He explained that the unit will become operational in January 2008 following the installation of equipment and the training of staff who are to work with pupils with special needs.
Minister Shamlaye also urged the students “to make good use of the facilities to ensure the (intellectual, social and spiritual) education of this generation and future generations of the children of your district”.
Also to address those present during the ceremony was the headteacher of the Baie Ste Anne Primary School, Marie-Ange Hoareau, who reiterated the students’ and those of her staff’s appreciation for what she described as “the perfect gift” to be presented to the children of Praslin, precisely those of Baie Ste Anne, on such an occasion.
Amongst the guests in attendance at the inauguration ceremony were Designated Minister 
After the ceremony, the guests were able to tour the school and view its various facilities.
The official opening of the Baie Ste Anne Primary School was in fact the first activity organized at national level to mark the 30th Anniversary of Liberation Day (June 5) and 14th Anniversary of National Day (June 18).