Assessment results show that SIT has innovative potentials |27 August 2019

Presenting the results of the assessment

The results of an assessment made on the innovative drive and tools used for teaching and learning at the Seychelles Institute for Technology (Sit) have shown that the institution as a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centre has made remarkable achievements which can be shared with other TVET institutions in the world.

Sit was chosen by Unesco-Unevoc to be part of a ‘skills for Innovation Hubs (i-Hubs)’ pilot project aimed to empower TVET institutions to act as agents for innovations. This is through getting the institution to be more innovative, with the involvement of the students, in projects that will benefit the institution itself and the community at large, the result of which can be shared with other TVET institutions in the world.

Sit is one of the world’s only 10 innovative technical and vocational educational and training institutions selected from a network of more than 200 institutions worldwide, which are part of the Unesco-Unevoc, chosen to participate in the innovation hubs (i-hubs) pilot project.

The result of the assessment was disseminated by the project officer of Unevoc-Wilson Lima Junior, during a presentation held at Sit, Providence on Friday last week. Present were the principal secretary for Tertiary Education and Human Resource Development, Dr Linda Barallon; the director of Sit, Hubert Barbe; Peter Greenwood from Unesco-Unevoc; Louis Aquilina from Malta Institute of Art, Science & Technology (MCAST); Wenming Yang and Qianmin Lin from Shenzen Polytechnic; Sit board members; management staff and students and other senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development related to Tertiary Education and TVET.

In an interview, Mr Greenwood said: “We have been warmly encouraged by the performance of Sit we’ve found through this exercise in terms of the technical results of the assessment where we have found throughout the institution, in terms of leadership, particularly in teaching and learning products and services and the relationship with the ecosystem, where in each of those areas, Sit has some remarkable stories and achievements to share.”

Mr Greenwood noted that the greatest asset for Sit though remains the encouragement and quality of its staff.

“We have found in every stage of this exercise devoted and committed and engaged staff at all levels – from the governing board, the management, the teachers and the students. We’ve had some fantastic consultations with these young guys whose got their future in the Seychelles and they can appreciate what the Sit is doing for them,” Mr Greenwood said.

Mr Greenwood though said that the main weaknesses of Sit are about the teaching and learning processes. He said that the staff lack the ability to develop the methodologies and to share those methodologies with the students in the classroom.

“That is an important area the institution has to work at. In terms of the certification of new courses although there is a lot of development going on in terms of short courses still the teaching and learning methodology could be sharpened up and I think this will make a big difference in their services to the learners.

During the one-week assessment the representatives from MCAST and Shenzen Polytechnic were present as peer reviewers. Mr Aquilina from MCAST said that Sit must refrain from being too over enthusiastic and to slowly work to address the identified weaknesses.

As for Mr Yang from Shenzen Polytechnic, Sit must address some of its working tools still being used which date as far back as the 1980s.

Mr Barbe said he was very happy that Sit has been chosen as a partner on the pilot project for Unesco-Unevoc and that Sit has fallen exactly in the mapping that it was expected to before the start of the exercise.

“The result shows that even though with the identified weaknesses, the institute is moving forward with innovative ideas and with the position they have come up with for us, it will encourage us more to demonstrate our potential and we know we will have an innovative practice which will enter in the manual of Unevoc which will be shared with other TVET institutions in the world,” Mr Barbe said.

He noted that Sit is already in the process of implementing its action plan in which it features an identified greening innovation project (placing of water tanks in the institution’s compound for rain water harvesting), soon to be implemented. Unesco-Unevoc has sponsored a UDS 20,000 for Sit’s innovative projects.

As for out of date working tools, Mr Barbe said that it’s a reality as the institution has not always been able to get the necessary budget based on the prioritisation of the country’s need but he has learned that a considerable sum will be made in the next budget to buy new equipment.

The representatives from Unesco-Unevoc, MCAST and Shenzen Polytechnic also had the opportunity to visit the institution and innovative projects done by Sit’s water warriors at Ile Perseverance and water catchment at Val D’Andorre.

Mr Greenwood said that the way forward for Unesco-Unevoc is to reflect on what has been learned and has been prepared from the consultation meeting through innovation opportunities found at Sit which will be shared with other TVET institutions.