Exness donates materials worth over R200,000 to three schools |25 October 2022

Three schools – Pointe Larue secondary, Pointe Larue primary and Anse Aux Pins primary – yesterday received a donation consisting of white boards and cork boards for all classrooms worth over R200,000 from private company Exness.

Exness is an overseas offshore company from Belgium and their representative in Seychelles, Pedro Pierre, is a former student from Pointe Larue secondary.

“We are grateful to one of our past students who thought of giving back to the community once succeeded in life. When Mr Pierre contacted me, I had a long list as the school needs some attention, but he then proposed to donate white boards to all classes. As Pointe Larue primary and Anse Aux Pins primary are feeder schools for us, I visited both schools to see what was their need and now with this donation we are all covered,” shared the head teacher Chanel Soomery.

Acknowledging this gesture from the private sector, the Minister for Education Dr Justin Valentin commended both the school and the private business. “What we are witnessing today is very encouraging for us – we are witnessing the role of the private sector in the development of education. This year has been special for the Ministry of Education as we have seen a large number of businesses from the private sector coming forward making sure we give students the best. With this donation, this will facilitate the lives of the teachers by not using chalks,” noted Minister Valentin.

He also congratulated Mr Pierre for coming back to assist the school he once used to be part of.

Minister Valentin also commended the Pointe Larue secondary for sharing extra donations to other schools and urges schools to come together for networking.

Addressing the students, the minister added that the whiteboards will facilitate their learning and therefore to make good use of them.

The programme manager at Exness, Svetlana Nikonova who is visiting the country shared that “we are excited for this sponsorship programme with the schools in Seychelles and we are looking forward for more projects in the future. It has been a huge milestone for us and we are glad we are being able to contribute in sustainable projects”.

The school presented two gifts to the donors – a coco de mer and a painting.

The students also performed a few songs and showcased the Creole culture through a sega and moutya dance.

The accompanying photographs show some highlights of the ceremony.

Text & photos by Vidya Gappy