National Assembly |21 November 2023
Budget allocations for five government entities approved
Five government entities were before the National Assembly yesterday to present and justify their budget appropriation for next year.
The first to be heard was the Ministry of Education, with the highest budget in 2024 – a sum of R1.3 billion (R1,334,779).
Minister Justin Valentin highlighted the various programmes done locally and internationally during 2023 and how the amount was justified for next year as the ministry would be continuing along the same line to ensure the country has the best education system for both students and teachers.
As is the case with all education-related discussions before the National Assembly, schemes of service was a key point raised by the members, alongside other topics such as training of teachers and vocational studies.
At the start of the discussion, Minister Valentin informed the House that Cabinet’s decision not to proceed with plans to turn the Perseverance secondary school into a Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) centre, came after listening to various arguments from parents in relation to the project.
He said the ministry will now adopt a short-term modality. “Students from Mahé who were going into secondary four, in 2024 will now remain in their respective schools. Parents and teachers have been notified and we are doing the necessary to re-inforce existing modalities,” he explained. The education budget was approved unanimously.
The other education-related entity that received the full backing of the House was the Institute of Early Childhood Development for a sum worth R41. 4 million. It was followed by the Seychelles Qualifications Authority, with its budget appropriation of R8.1 million.
During yesterday’s sitting, the House also heard the Ministry of Fisheries led by Minister Jean-François Ferrari where they discussed a sum of R56.04 million for two departments namely fisheries and blue economy. The vote was also unanimous.
In the afternoon, the National Assembly debated on the budget appropriation of R353.794 million for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism. The House took them separately starting with the department of Foreign Affairs, which has anappropriation of R154.369 million. Minister Sylvestre Radegonde informed the House that it was an increase of R26.035 million compared to the revised 2023 budget. According to him, this was principally to cover a 10 percent increase in salary, revision of the support service cadre, employment of housekeepers as of January, to host the honorary council conference and expenses related to Seychelles assuming the presidency of the Indian Ocean Commission in May 2024.
The Department of Tourism has an appropriation of R199.4 million in 2024, which according to Minister Radegonde is a R5.1 million increase from its revised 2023 budget. He told the house that although 2023 has been a challenging year, the industry was performing generally well and as of last week the number of arrivals stood at 300,746 visitors – a 4 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The department’s target for the year was 348,000.
The ministry’s budget was approved by 25 members, with no votes against and one abstention.
Patsy Canaya