UniSey seeks to expand facilities |13 April 2022

The provision of more space for the functions of the University of Seychelles (UniSey) at its Mont Fleuri campus, the India-Seychelles Centre for Excellence in ICT (ISCEICT), and the main campus at Anse Royale, is the main issue to be tackled for the university by government.

The statement was made by the President of the Republic and Chancellor of UniSey, Wavel Ramkalawan, following a meeting yesterday afternoon with members of the executive team headed by the vice-chancellor of the university, Joëlle Perreau, and representatives of UniSey council and the students’ council.

President Ramkalawan, in his capacity as the chancellor, was conducting his first familiarisation visit to the premises of the university to understand its challenges and vision.

The visit started at the ICT centre at Mont Fleuri where the president was met on arrival by vice-chancellor Perreau and representatives of the UniSey council and students council. The ICT centre is a joint venture of Advanced Computer Training School (ACTS), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Pune, India, and UniSey. It was officially opened in 2011. The president was guided on a tour of the facility where he also got to interact with the administrative staff, teachers and students.

Following the visit of the centre, President Ramkalawan and the accompanying delegation headed to the university’s main campus at Anse Royale. There also he was introduced to other members of the executive team and other representatives of both the UniSey council and the students’ council.

He toured the administrative block and classes including the main library, the Chinese Confucius Institute, the labs, the Centre for Environment Education and the research unit on the third floor housing the James R. Mancham Peace and Diplomacy Institute, the Creole Language and Culture Research Institute, the Blue Economy Research Institute and the Island Biodiversity and Conservation centre. Along the way he also got to interact with the staff, teachers and students on the aspirations, concerns and challenges.

“The main issue of course is the issue of the campus. At Mont Flueri it’s a tight campus and so we’ll be looking at the possibility of expanding the campus and the same here at Anse Royale,” said President Ramkalawan, who added that government will be in talks with the Ministry of Education for the possibility of relocating the Seychelles Institute of Distance & Open Learning (SIDOL) to make space for the ICT centre and also that of the Seychelles Business Studies and Accounting (SBSA) to make more space available for the university at the Anse Royale campus.

President Ramkalawan remarked that with the nationalisation of the university and with its programme already developed and which have attained excellent results, by getting the university on a show of footing as far as the campus is concerned will further allow UniSey to fulfill its vocation as a good university that provides for the needs of the country and to also share our teaching capability programmes to the outside world.

He also highlighted the enthusiasm he experienced among the students who are geared up to do well in their studies and among the teachers wanting their students to do well which in all spell a bright future for UniSey.

“The visit was an eye opener in itself. It gave me the opportunity for me to have a greater understanding of the challenges that the university faces and at the same time to share the vision of the university,” the President said.

UniSey was founded and established in 2009 with former President James Michel as the first chancellor. It provides courses in a variety of subjects at degree, diploma and post graduate (masters) levels. It currently has 88 moving staff to entertain the 389 moving students on long programmes including a significant number coming for short courses.

Apart from vice-chancellor Perreau appointed in December 2020 to replace Dr Justin Valentin (2018-2020), other vice-chancellors of UniSey were Dr Rolph Payet (2009-2012), Dr Marina Confait (2012-2014) and Professor Dennis Hardy (2014-2017).

The accompanying photos show some highlights of President Ramkalawan’s visits yesterday.

Patrick Joubert