Early Childhood Care & Education |28 October 2023

The symbolic cake cutting to celebrate the occasion

IECD inaugurated as  Category 2 Centre

By Patrick Joubert

The President of the Republic, Wavel Ramkalawan, has said that the country will remain steadfast in its support for the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD) as a centre of excellence.

President Ramkalawan made the statement yesterday evening during his speech to officially inaugurate the institute as a Category 2 Centre for early childhood care and education (ECCE) under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

The inauguration of the institute as a Category 2 Centre took place in a special ceremony held yesterday evening at the Eden Bleu Hotel, which was also broadcast live on the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) TV and Youtube.

In attendance were First Lady Linda Ramkalawan, ministers, members of the National Assembly, the acting regional director and representative of the Unesco Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Dr Alexandros Makarigakis.

The event was also witnessed by the Minister for Basic Education of the Republic of South Africa, Matsie Motshekga, the chairperson of the governing board of the Category 2 Centre for ECCE, Dr Mmant-setsa Marope, and the chief executive officer of IECD, Shirley Choppy.

This prestigious recognition of IECD as a Category 2 Centre for ECCE by Unesco is as a result of the institute’s commitment to excellence in early childhood education and dedication to the well-being of young children over the past ten years of its existence. The centre will provide global intellectual and operational leadership, as well as capacity building for Unesco member States to advance the development of ECCE. It is the only Category 2 centre among the 15 centres in the world that is specialised in early child care.

“As the host country, rest assured that Seychelles will remain steadfast in its support for the institute as a Centre of excellence, a model of good practice and deliver according to its new international mandate. We will assume our responsibility to provide the resources needed for the administration and proper functioning of the Centre, in accordance with the Unesco Agreement,” President Ramkalawan said.

President Ramkalawan added that IECD will continue its journey into a new era with renewed strength and vigour and the same burning passion to cooperate with its partners, at both local and global levels and will work collaboratively to provide all young children with a strong and winning start to enjoy love, good health, care and protection, respect and learning opportunities in order to develop the strength and resilience needed to cope in a rapidly changing world and be prepared for a better tomorrow.

The president stated that the country is fully committed to achieving the SDGs by 2030, especially SDG 4.2 which aims to ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality pre-primary care and education to enable them to be ready for primary school.

He also pledged his government’s full support towards the centre including the construction of its new premises with the support of the United Arab Emirates.

The IECD was established in January 2013 with a vision to see Seychellois children up to the age of eight enjoy quality early care and education through the shared commitment of all partners. Throughout the past decade its role has multiplied from providing leadership and coordination in early childhood care and education to also becoming the regulator of childminding services.

The institute has recorded many successes in various areas such as legal, policy, quality assurance, programmatic and research, advocacy and partnerships, monitoring and evaluation among others until thereafter being listed as a Category 2 Centre for ECCE, under the auspices of Unesco in 2019.

In a bid to extend the institute’s regulatory powers under the auspices of Unesco, in December 2022, President Ramkalawan assented to the Early Childhood Development Act 2022 based on a more modern criteria and obligations set forth under the Unesco Agreement, specifically those relating to the Unesco Category 2 Centres for ECCE.

In her opening remarks, Mrs Choppy said that the remarkable achievement by IECD has been guided by its vision for Seychellois children to enjoy early childhood care and education through the shared commitment of all partners.

“As we celebrate our accomplishments, we look ahead with great optimism to reaffirm our pledge to ensure all children without exception in Seychelles and the world, has a strong and winning head start in life. This will pave the way for a brighter future,” said Mrs Choppy, who noted that they are eager to share and implement their success with other countries of the world and international organisations.

Delivering words of praises and encouragement, Mr Makarigakis said that since the beginning of 2023, Seychelles has not only added its name to a list, but has taken a monumental step forward in the global landscape. He noted that by joining the esteemed international community of Unesco Category 2 Centres and Institutes, Seychelles has firmly positioned itself on the global stage, signaling a profound commitment to nurturing the future of our children around the world.

He also noted that apart from providing support, Unesco commits to monitoring progress and identifying challenges in all member states, and the IECD and a Category 2 centre could be one key actor in that work.

The ceremony which was blessed by Vicar General, Father Eric Leon from the Roman Catholic Church, and Reverend Christine Benoit from the Anglican Church, also saw the launch of Seychelles Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education 2023, the unveiling of IECD’s new logo and the launch of theme song ‘The Promise’ composed by Joe Samy. The ceremony ended with the symbolic cake cutting.

Photos by Patrick Joubert