The President of the Republic, Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan, attended the Teachers Awards Presentation Ceremony at the Nayopi Business Centre, Providence yesterday afternoon to mark the 32nd Anniversary of Teachers’ Day Celebration in Seychelles. The President had the Honour of presenting Mrs. Uguette Estro and Mrs. Davina Julie who has clocked 44 years of service in the profession with the Award for Longest Serving Teachers. Mrs. Estro and Mrs. Julie will both be taking their retirement in December.
The ceremony was attended by the Vice President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr. Ahmed Afif, Minister for Education, Dr. Justin Valentin, other Cabinet Ministers, Principal Secretaries, Teachers’ Day Organising Committee, officials from the Ministry of Education, award recipients, teachers, and other distinguished guests.
In his remarks at the ceremony, the President hailed the devotion of all teachers. “I want to congratulate you all on your achievements and thank all teachers for their dedication in this profession. The Government will continue to support educational institutions as they play an important role in the country's development. We will restart our visits to different schools to better understand different issues. Continue to give the best to our students and empower them to become good citizens. I wish you all the best of luck as you continue your journey in this vocation,” said the President.
In his address, the Minister for Education, Dr. Valentin said also commended and recognised the hard work of all teachers. For those retiring, the Minister expressed his wish that they partake their experiences to those still in teaching, as they are beacons in the reform currently taking place in this Ministry.
He called upon those that have clocked 25 years in service as well as all other teachers to join him and the management of Education in this transformation process and to make learning a memorable experience for all students in a conducive environment.
“This ceremony is very important as we witness teachers who have given the best of themselves and devoted their time to teaching. For those who have served for over 40 years, our doors will always remain open and if ever you want to come and give a helping hand, we would appreciate that, as we need you in this transformation taking place in the Ministry. I urged those that will continue teaching to join hands together, to have better in-context teaching as we want to give you a better experience in teaching and we want all students under your responsibility to have the best out of you,” said the Minister.
In relation to the ceremony that takes place annually, Dr. Valentin underlined the necessity to review the way it is organised so that teachers under 25 years in service including those in private schools can attend the event and be inspired by the achievements of those receiving the awards. Finally, the Minister also called upon more men to join the education profession.
A total of 22 teachers received certificates for their commitment and hard work during twenty-five years of service in education while 16 teachers who have retired or are retiring at the end of the year received awards for their long years of dedication to the profession.
During the ceremony, there was also a reflection by Miss Roselys Adeline from La Misère primary school, a gospel song, and a teacher’s hymn by the Teacher’s Choir. This was followed by a short story by Ashlee Louise; a pupil from Plaisance primary school, a poem by Miss Stephanie Joubert; the Counsellor of Mont Fleuri Secondary, and testimony by the Director General for institutional support services at the Ministry of Education, Mr. Bernard Arnephy on behalf of Mr. Michael the Head-Teacher of Praslin Secondary School.