President Wavel Ramkalawan chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet today, Wednesday 12th October in which a number of policy and legal memoranda were considered and approved.
Cabinet discussed the proposal to have legislation to ensure sustainable professionalised home care services in the country. This is directly in line with the reforms in our social programmes being undertaken by Government with the support of the World Bank. The aim of the legislation is to present a framework to assess the needs of applicants for care, monitor the level of care being provided by home care givers and to undertake proper assessment and training of home carer givers. Cabinet emphasised the need to care for our elders during their time of need. Further work will be undertaken on the legislation.
Cabinet approved the manual for service provision in Government-managed elderly homes in Seychelles in order to ensure consistency of standards and procedures. Residents of the elderly homes will contribute SCR1000 per month to cover rent; utilities; maintenance, and; activities. Cabinet also approved for the residents of the elderly homes to pay into a funeral insurance package.
Cabinet approved the proposal to allow for sponsorship of sports activities by alcohol beverages companies, following strict guidelines. This proposal will allow for greater funding of sports activities. As they approved the proposal, Cabinet emphasised the need to continue to promote responsible drinking as a key message. Cabinet approved the Information Communications Technology (ICT) in Education and Training Policy 2022 – 2027. The policy details the Ministry of Education’s plan to use technology to improve education and its services. In preparation for implementation of the policy, basic infrastructure has been laid to ensure secondary and primary education institutions have access to computers and internet connectivity. Both in-service and pre-service educators have been exposed to ICT in Education training courses. The subject of ICT has been added to the curriculum.
Cabinet expressed concerns on the rise of the number of COVID-19 cases and calls on organisations to observe their Standard of Procedures (SOP). Cabinet also calls on the general public to take necessary precautions to protect themselves. They also advised members of the public who are not vaccinated to take their vaccines.
Further details to the media will be provided by the relevant Ministry.