THE ISSUE OF RETURNING GRADUATES

It was quite interesting to follow the discussion on the issue of returning graduates in the National Assembly recently. The Minister for Education had a hard time explaining to the members of the National Assembly why around 10% of the young Seychellois’ which goes on overseas courses do not return to work for their country.

The irony is that all the members in the National Assembly do know the answer to this question nevertheless they simply felt they had to ask the pertinent questions. In a perfect world, the Minister would get 100% returnees from overseas - but we are living in a world very far from perfection and with the cost of living today and with few real opportunities available locally for returning graduates, it will never happen.

It is believed that for most Seychellois going on overseas course and coming to work for their country is the ideal situation and normally a dream but also part of that dream is earning sufficient money to eat well, enjoy oneself, able to have a house or apartment and be able to feed a family. However, the reality is that the allowance of Sr. 2,500 which was approved years ago is just not enough to cover the cost of living in Seychelles today.

Prices of essential commodities are so high that one has to struggle every “end of the month” to shop around, not forgetting that the bills - electricity and water have also gone up. If you have your own means of transportation it is becoming a nightmare with the constant fuel price increases. One factor which is important to note is that young people have dreams, if they are unable to fulfill their dreams locally, they would normally seek greener pastures.

The two most important points for our leaders to note and think about when addressing the issue of graduates not returning are: (a) is there the employment to suit the graduates’ qualification and if there is how easy is it for returning graduates to be employed before expatriates? (b) Are housing facilities readily available for those graduates? Because right now for Seychellois graduates returning to work and live in Seychelles it is already a nightmare. They may have been able to purchase a piece of land and willing to build, but the prices of materials is simply unaffordable for most young people.

Putting all these points together, it shows that life in Seychelles even if it seems peaceful, generally the people are not at peace with their personal circumstances, it is still a vicious daily struggle and sometimes young people feels that the grass is greener on the other side especially if one have had the opportunity to see for themselves during their studies. Therefore, no matter what strategy government may come up with, it may fall short due to the high cost of living in Seychelles and the lack of adequate opportunities for returning graduates to earn a comfortable living. If the National Assembly members voted for a high rise in their salaries then they must know what we are talking about.

July18, 2008
Copyright 2007: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles