Seychelles EDUCATION
Palm forest on Mahé
Courtesy Brian Kensley
Until the mid-1800s, little formal education was
available in
Seychelles. Both the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches
opened
mission schools in 1851. The missions continued to operate
the
schools--the teachers were monks and nuns from
abroad--even after
the government became responsible for them in 1944. After
a
technical college opened in 1970, a supply of locally
trained
teachers became available, and many new schools were
established.
Since 1981 a system of free education has been in effect
requiring attendance by all children in grades one to
nine,
beginning at age five. Ninety percent of all children also
attend
nursery school at age four.
The literacy rate for school-aged children had risen to
more
than 90 percent by the late 1980s. Many older Seychellois
had not
been taught to read or write in their childhood, but adult
education classes helped raise adult literacy from 60
percent to
a claimed 85 percent in 1991.
Children are first taught to read and write in Creole.
Beginning in grade three, English is used as a teaching
language
in certain subjects. French is introduced in grade six.
After
completing six years of primary school and three years of
secondary school, at age fifteen students who wish to
continue
attend a National Youth Service (NYS) program. Students in
the
NYS live at an NYS village at Port Launnay on the
northwest coast
of Mahé, wearing special brown and beige uniforms. In
addition to
academic training, the students receive practical
instruction in
gardening, cooking, housekeeping, and livestock
raising--one of
the aims of the program is to reduce youth unemployment.
They are
expected to produce much of their own food, cook their own
meals,
and do their laundry. Self-government is practiced through
group
sessions and committees.
From the time the NYS program was instituted in 1981,
it met
with heated opposition and remained highly unpopular.
Students
spend the entire period away from home, with parental
visits
permitted only at designated times at intervals of several
months. Many consider the quality of education to be
inferior;
indoctrination in the socialist policies of the SPPF is
part of
the curriculum. Nevertheless, failure to attend the NYS
made it
difficult to proceed to more advanced study. In 1991 the
NYS
program was reduced from two years to one year. The total
enrollment in that year was 1,394, with roughly equal
numbers of
boys and girls. Those who leave school but do not
participate in
the NYS can volunteer for a government-administered
six-month
work program, receiving a training stipend below the
minimum
wage.
After completing their NYS program, students could
attend
Seychelles Polytechnic (1,600 students in 1991) for preuniversity studies or other training. In 1993, responding
to
popular pressure, the government eliminated the
requirement of
NYS participation in order to enter the Polytechnic.
However, it
strongly encouraged students to complete NYS before
beginning to
work at age eighteen. The largest number of students were
in
teacher training (302), business studies (255), humanities
and
science (226), and hotels and tourism (132). No
opportunities for
higher education are available on the islands. Instead,
university and higher professional courses are usually
pursued
through various British, United States, and French
scholarship
programs.
Seychelles has received funds for developing its
educational
programs from several multinational sources. These include
a
grant from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries
(OPEC) in 1988 and a US$9.4 million loan from the African
Development Bank in November 1991.
Data as of August 1994
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