The President of the Republic, Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan who is also the Chancellor of the University of Seychelles (UNISEY), visited the campuses at Mont Fleuri and Anse Royale yesterday afternoon. The visit stems from an official invitation extended to the President to visit the UNISEY campuses in March 2022.

The President was welcomed at the Mont Fleuri campus by the Chairperson of the UNISEY Council, Emeritus Professor Denis Hardy, the Vice-Chancellor of UNISEY, Ms. Joelle Perreau, and other members of the faculty. The President was given a tour which included the new exam room for students, the Computing and Information Systems as well as the proposed site for an annex building for an ICT Centre.

The delegation then proceeded to the Anse Royale campus where his visits took him to both the academic facilities, administrative offices as well specialist rooms located on the campus. President Ramkalawan was also given a further explanation on site in regards to the Unisey master plan proposal to revamp the campus so that it meets the international standards.

At both campuses, the President had the opportunity to interact and hold brief discussions with various professors, lecturers, and students.

The visit was followed by a meeting with members of the Unisey Council and the management team where they further discussed pertinent issues and the way forward. The Head of State commended the hard work, determination, and resilience of the students and staff of the university. The President reaffirmed the support and commitment of the government towards the university so that it meets its objectives and vision.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, President Ramkalawan said that the visits to both campuses have allowed him to better understand the functions of UNISEY and to better understand their challenges as well as their plans as an institution. The President noted the issue of space limitation and confirmed that there will be further discussion with the Ministry of Education on the possibility to relocate the Seychelles Institute of Distance and Open Learning (SIDOL) and the Seychelles Business Studies Academy (SBSA).

“The visit allowed me to have a greater understanding of the challenges that the university faces and at the same time to share the vision of the university. The interesting aspect of my visit today was the enthusiasm that I experienced among the students and the lecturers. The students are all geared up for them to do well in their studies. Some were excited about the research that they are doing and getting good grades.

“On the other hand, I saw the enthusiasm of their lecturers, wanting their students to do well. Already you can see this partnership, and now as we have adopted UNISEY as a national university, it is now for the government to push the university forward. I want UNISEY to fulfill its vocation as a good university that provides for the needs of Seychelles,” said the President.

The University of Seychelles was launched in September 2009, where it welcomed its first group of students. This was followed by its official inauguration in November 2010.