VICTORIA, Seychelles — Twenty-four primary school teachers, including one teacher who will be placed at the Seychelles Institute of Teacher Education (SITE), have arrived in Seychelles under the programme Mobilité des professeurs de français, launched by the Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, in 2020. The initiative follows a request from Seychelles for ten volunteers in 2022, following a meeting between Madame Mushikiwabo and President Wavel Ramkalawan on 5 September 2022. The project is the latest in a series of OIF-supported initiatives in the country, and is being read as a sign of the growing depth of the country’s engagement with the Francophonie.
The project, which has now been finalised, aims to improve the quality of French language teaching and to create an environment that is conducive to language learning. The 24 teachers, who come from a variety of countries and continents, also have a mission to strengthen the capacity of their local counterparts over the next two years. These volunteers will not replace Seychellois teachers, but will assist them by bringing their expertise, including supporting French clubs in schools. The two-year duration of the placement is being read as a sign of the long-term commitment of the OIF to the country.
During the official launch of the programme on Monday, the Minister of Education, Dr. Justin Valentin, emphasised the importance of teaching French in an innovative way to spark students’ interest in learning and speaking the language. He expressed his conviction that this project will contribute significantly to improving the use of French in schools. The minister explained that, despite training in French, teachers often lack resources. He specified that, in schools, French is often used only for the teaching of French, while English is used for other subjects.
To formalise this cooperation, an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Education and the OIF during the launch. Each volunteer teacher was introduced to the directors of the schools to which they have been assigned. Within the framework of the programme, the OIF finances the air tickets, the monthly subsistence allowances, as well as an additional allocation to cover the activities organised by the volunteers in the French clubs. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the accommodation of the volunteers.
According to Fauzia Abdouhlhalik, programme specialist at the OIF permanent representation, the 25 teachers were selected jointly by the OIF and Seychelles from among 739 potential candidates. The volunteers come from various countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, France, Ghana, Mali, Rwanda and Madagascar, among others. With the signing of an action plan by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, and Madame Mushikiwabo during the 19th Summit of Heads of State of La Francophonie in December 2022, Seychelles was included in the mobility programme. Seychelles becomes the third country to benefit from this programme, after Rwanda and Ghana.
