The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure, welcomed the Director of UNESCO- International Bureau of Education, Dr Mmantsetsa Marope, yesterday afternoon at State House.

Dr Marope is in Seychelles for the Second International Biennial Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education. Her courtesy visit to State House was an opportunity to discuss the way forward and obtain guidance from President Faure on new areas of focus.

The President welcomed Dr Marope back to Seychelles and on behalf of Government and the people of Seychelles expressed sincere appreciation for the continuous support over the years in the domain of Early Childhood Care and Education. Their discussions revolved around progress Seychelles has made and potential of showcasing Seychelles’ as an example of good practice in ECCE  globally.

“Seychelles is already recognized as a best practice country in ECCE by several international institutions, apart from UNESCO. That in itself places Seychelles on a global platform,” said Dr Marope to the media following her courtesy visit.

President Faure also attended the official opening of the conference held at the International Conference Centre Seychelles later in the evening.

Themed “Big Data for Small Children: Monitoring Holistic Early Childhood Development”, this year’s conference focuses on the increasingly prominent and critical area of data management in ECCE. International experts and speakers will highlight the global data management opportunities and challenges in ECCE, with cross-sectorial solutions that include legal, financial, health and nutrition, education, and social protection frameworks.

A key aim of the conference is to emphasise the importance of collection, retrieval, and management of data to strengthen the policy environment, and introduce programmes to monitor and improve data management and use for early childhood development.

“During the Seychelles First International Biennial Conference in 2017, the work of the (IECD) was internationally recognized and commended. It was conferred the status of an ECCE Best Practice Hub by the International Bureau of Education, UNESCO. That was one of our greatest achievements for the sector. We are now engaged in the process of its establishment as a category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO, widening its scope to regional and global dimensions. If we look back at the road travelled, we can be proud of the amount and level of work undertaken, the commitment and dedication of those involved but above all in the collaboration and partnerships we have forged,” said Vice-President Meriton while retracing Seychelles’ achievements in relation to ECCE.

Editor’s Note:

For more information on the Conference please visit the official Website of IECD Seychelles:  http://www.iecd.gov.sc