Official visit of South African minister Matsie Angelina Motshekga |27 October 2023

‘Seychelles has one of the best education systems in the SADC region’

During her official visit to Seychelles, Minister for Basic Education of the Republic of South Africa, Matsie Angelina Motshekga, expressed her admiration for Seychelles' education system, which she considers one of the best in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

After touring crèches and day-care centres and engaging with technical teams yesterday, Minister Motshekga commended Seychelles' educational achievements. “I am very impressed because what brought me to Seychelles is in fact that your education system has proven to be the best in SADC region.  We will soon get the result from the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality, and I know Seychelles will be number one. Last time, when we were getting continental results for the African continent, I knew Seychelles was going to be number one.”

Minister Motshekga's visit is to understand the structure and success of Seychelles' education system, particularly its robust early childhood development programme. She noted the effectiveness of teachers and assistants in stimulating children as young as four months old in day care, contributing to a strong educational foundation.

Furthermore, Minister Motshekga arrived in Seychelles with a technical delegation focusing on early childhood education, aiming to explore opportunities for cooperation between the two countries. Minister of Education Dr Justin Valentin explained that discussions about this collaboration began two years prior when he met Minister Motshekga at a Unesco event.

“We were contemplating on how both our countries and other countries in the region could collaborate in the education system mainly in early childhood. Her visit is mainly for them to observe on what we are doing and see how we can collaborate,” shared Minister Valentin.

Minister Valentin noted that early childhood has advanced very well and government with other stakeholders are working together to make sure that each child is getting the best. He also commended the private childminders who are trying their best to abide by the best practices and allow other parents to go to work.

One institution visited yesterday was Takamaka school with 310 students including 49 children in crèche and 40 staff. The school’s head teacher, Daniela Vidot, said her school was able to share what they are doing with the children in the early childhood programme (crèche to primary 2). “We spoke about our curriculum and we were also asked about the implementation of the curriculum in classes. We also had the opportunity to learn about their curriculum and we found similarities.”

During their three-day visit to Seychelles, Minister Motshekga and her delegation are having several meetings and visits to further intensify their learning and collaboration in the early childhood sector.

The minister hails from Soweto with a background in education and has a significant history in the struggle against apartheid. She holds a BA in Education, a B Ed from the University of the North, and a Master’s Degree in Education from Wits University. She has contributed to education, women's development, and language studies through her research and publications.

Minister Motshekga's career includes teaching at Orlando High in Soweto and lecturing at the Soweto College of Education and Wits University. She has also been active in various educational and women's development boards. Her political journey includes serving as a convener for Gender in the Office of the President, working as a trainer in the department of Public Service and Administration, and holding roles in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, including chairperson of the Standing Committee on Education.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of Minister Motshekga’s visits and meetings.

Text and photos: Vidya Gappy