President Danny Faure received the Director of International Bureau of Education - UNESCO, Dr Mmantsetsa Marope, at State House this morning. Dr Marope was accompanied by the Minister for Education and Human Resource Development, Mrs Jeanne Simeon.

Dr Marope is on an official mission to Seychelles following a request from the President of the Republic to support Seychelles in improving the quality of education, and to do so equitably. Dr Marope is exploring how UNESCO can support the education sector, particularly in the context of the country’s new long term development vision.

During the meeting, President Faure thanked Dr Marope for her consistent support through UNESCO. The President reaffirmed the commitment of the government to continue improving the education system as a whole.

On this visit, Dr Marope and her delegation will work closely with officials from the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development to systematically review the different elements of the education curriculum. This includes languages such as French, Creole and English; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics); and methods of student assessment.

Speaking to the national media after the meeting, Dr Marope said that she is excited to be in Seychelles again and see how the country has progressed.

“There has been a lot of effort to make sure that reforms in the education system align with the reforms of overall national development, and ensure that the country has skilled human resources in the future. As you know, Seychelles is doing very well in the Human Capital Index, but what will sustain that high performance of Seychelles is ensuring the health of the Seychellois and their education. It is a good base of human resources that leads to effective human capital accumulation,” she said.

During this visit, Dr Marope and her team will also be planning the next International Biennial Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), scheduled for early next year.