Seychelles’ education ministry and Sri Lanka’s Cinec renew partnership |07 June 2023
Capt. Peiris and Minister Valentin signing the MoA
The Ministry of Education and the Colombo International Nautical Engineering College (Cinec) have renewed their partnership through the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) yesterday morning in the minister’s conference room at Mont Fleuri.
The MoA was signed by the President of the Cinec campus, Captain Ajith Peiris and Seychelles’ Minister for Education, Dr Justin Valentin.
The first MoA with Cinec was signed on August 30, 2013 and has been successfully renewed every three years. The revised MoA between the two institutions aims to further enhance the existing framework for academic cooperation geared towards developing the skills of seafarers to meet the international requirements.
Through this agreement Seychellois cadets and lecturers of the Seychelles Maritime Academy (SMA) have had the opportunity to attend training programmes at the latter’s headquarters in Seychelles and the Cinec campus in Sri Lanka. This partnership will also facilitate the development of new courses, curricula, and training methodologies, catering to the emerging needs of the maritime sector.
Present to witness the signing were Designated Minister Jean François Ferrari, who is also responsible for Fisheries and the Blue Economy; the principal secretary for Education, Merna Eulentin; the chairperson of the SMA governing board, Alain Asba; the principal secretary for Education Sector Development, John Lesperance; and staff members of Cinec and SMA.
In his speech, PS Lesperance said that this agreement marks a new chapter in the efforts of education sector.
“By joining forces, we aim to strengthen our efforts in maritime education and training, fostering excellence and innovation in this vital sector,” he said.
He added that this agreement will ensure that Seychelles’ seafarers are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate the challenges of the ever-evolving maritime industry.
For his part, Capt. Ajith Peiris expressed his happiness with being able to contribute immensely to the development of the maritime industry in Seychelles.
“So far we have trained over thousands of Seychellois youths in the industry in various capacities, and we want to continue this and bring it to the highest level internationally,” he said.
To conclude, Minister Valentin thanked Cinec for supporting Seychelles and its youths. “What has happened this morning is really a commitment that the government of Seychelles is making to the youth of this country in terms of the development in the maritime industry. We fully embrace this commitment,” he stated.
Cinec has to date assisted Seychelles to meet the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) White List and has contributed significantly to the country’s maritime education landscape through the introduction of Quantity Management System (QMS) practices. SMA is Seychelles first ISO 9001:2008 Certified Academic Institution.
Diane Larame
