Africa-Press – Seychelles. Twenty-four primary school teachers, including one teacher who will be placed at the Seychelles Teacher Training Institute (SITE), are present in Seychelles thanks to the “Mobility of French Teachers” program launched by the Secretary General of the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, in 2020. This initiative follows Seychelles’ request for ten volunteers in 2022, following the meeting between Ms. Mushikiwabo and President Wavel Ramkalawan on September 5, 2022.
The project, now a reality, aims to improve the quality of French teaching and create an environment conducive to learning the language. The 24 teachers, from various countries and continents, are also tasked with building the capacity of their local counterparts over the next two years.
These volunteers will not replace Seychellois teachers, but will assist them by providing their expertise while supporting French clubs in schools.
At the official launch of the program yesterday, Minister of Education, Dr. Justin Valentin, highlighted the importance of teaching French in innovative ways to spark students’ interest in learning and speaking the language. He expressed his conviction that this project will significantly contribute to improving the use of French in schools.
Vicky Gendron, head of liaison at the ministry, explained that despite training in French, teachers often lack resources. She clarified that “in schools, French is often used only for teaching French, while English is used for other subjects. The ministry therefore considered that it could benefit from the support of the OIF.”
To formalize this cooperation, an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Education and the OIF during the launch. Each volunteer teacher was introduced to the principals of the schools to which they were assigned.
As part of the program, the OIF finances tickets, monthly subsistence allowances, as well as an additional allowance to cover activities organized by volunteers in French clubs. The Ministry of Education covers the accommodation of volunteers.
In order to better prepare the volunteers for their missions in schools, they followed a one-week orientation. Seychelles becomes the third country to benefit from this program after Rwanda and Ghana.
According to Fauzia Abdouhlhalik, program specialist with the Permanent Representation of the OIF and the Indian Ocean, the 25 teachers were jointly selected by the OIF and Seychelles from 739 potential candidates. Volunteers come from various countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, France, Ghana, Mali, Rwanda and Madagascar, among others.
With the signing of an action plan by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde and Ms. Mushikiwabo during the 18th OIF Heads of State Summit in December 2022, Seychelles has been included in the program of mobility.
Laura Pillay
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