National Assembly and the Ministry of Education sign MoU |27 October 2023

Exchanging documents after signing the MoU

Parliamentary Learning Space for teachers

The National Assembly and the Ministry of Education have signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of ‘the Teacher’s Parliamentary Learning Space’.

This is a platform that will allow teachers to receive resource materials including training to enhance citizenship education in classrooms.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on behalf of the National Assembly by the assembly clerk, Tania Isaac, and on behalf of the Ministry of Education by the principal secretary for Education Services, Merna Eulentin, in a short ceremony held yesterday afternoon in the assembly lobby.

Present were the National Assembly’s deputy Speaker, Gervais Henrie; and the Minister for Education, Dr Justin Valentin; leader of the opposition, Sebastien Pillay; and leader of government business, Bernard Georges, and other officials from education and assembly.

In his opening address, deputy Speaker Henrie said parliaments across the world have amplified their education provisions by investing in teacher training programmes bridging parliament and citizenship education to promote democracy, something which Seychelles cannot miss out on.

He added that the platform will further enrich the curriculum and the way that parliament is taught in the classrooms.

“Representative democracy truly benefits from informed citizens who understand how the system works and actively participate in its process. In our context, our parliamentary context, increasing knowledge on parliament’s role and helping the community understand some of the principles involved is crucial for the health and progress of our modern democracy,” said deputy Speaker Henrie.

He also noted that a public that learns about civics from an early age, are more likely to appreciate and engage with parliament and have more empowered interaction with governance structures in the future.

Taking the podium, Mrs Isaac said the idea for the teachers’ learning platform on parliament was set in motion during the 6th Assembly and although it lost some momentum along the way, the Parliamentary Service had remained focused in implementing this programme during the 7th Assembly.

She added that in the coming months, the teachers will get the opportunity to come to the National Assembly, especially during recesses, to learn about the functions of the National Assembly, on democracy and on cross cutting themes in citizenship education.

The programme to start as from next year, will also include a 3-day workshop, involving intensive topics, discussing parliamentary functions of the institution, democracy, the principles of good governance, some aspects of the constitution and committee structures. It will also involve dialogue on key strategies for enhancing citizenship education and on teaching different technical topics to do with parliament and its role in society.

“Our aim is for teachers who participate in this programme to become champions of teaching on parliament and parliamentary democracy. Rest assured that this method has been tried and tested in parliaments across the world and found to be effective in building the confidence of teachers in delivering lessons on parliamentary topics. It is also beneficial for students’ integral growth and attainment of leadership skills,” she stated.

For her part, PS Eulentin said that ‘the Teacher’s Parliamentary Learning Space’, is a testament of the National Assembly’s commitment to engage young people to make choices that align with their values and interest especially when it comes to making informed decisions as voters.

“Education fosters a sense of civic responsibility. When individuals are educated, they are more likely to participate in the democratic process, such as voting, attending public meetings and engaging in community activities. They are also more likely to take an active interest in social and political issues,” said PS Eulentin.

PS Eulentin said that the Seychelles Institute of Teacher Education (SITE) is providing compulsory Citizenship Education courses, and it will be the hub for collaboration with the National Assembly with Sandra Jeanne, a lecturer at the institute, as the focal person.  

Text & photos by Patrick Joubert