Ralph volcere’s week
THE TEACHERS ARE CARVING THE
This is the first and last advice this column is going to offer the new Minister of Education in his endeavour to re-establish respect for and normality in the teaching profession in Seychelles. The new strategy aimed at marketing the teaching profession in a manner that will draw more people to take up teaching while at the same time retain the services of those already in the profession, is by all accounts a welcome move by the Ministry of Education. But, this initiative will fail should the Minister not look back at the situations which caused the present state of affairs (deterioration) in the educational system. The Minister must look at where and why it went wrong in the first place; in order to be able to mend any situation effectively one must first determine and recognise its faults and failures. This should be the principal approach, which the Minister must apply in his attempt to remedy the problem.
We cannot afford to waste time on razzmatazz and unnecessary exercises. The public in general already appreciate the importance of the profession. Every man; woman and child in this country fully backs the teachers in their daily devotion to the profession. In the years leading up to the present situation this Government adopted an approach that was unrealistic and unworkable in managing people with the intellect you normally associate with teachers. The former Minister’s “knows it best” policy is totally unacceptable and unworkable in such situations and political consideration in everything that was being implemented made matters worse for the educational system in the country. This is where it went wrong and this is where the problem still lies and if the new Minister is able to remove party political consideration from the daily operation of the Ministry of Education, he would have gone a long way in curing the ailments suffocating the progress and development of education in
Teaching is a noble profession and people are naturally drawn to the profession without much arm-twisting. The problem lies with the incentives on offer to attract new recruits to the profession and to keep them after they have undergone their training and qualification periods; especially when reward is based on political allegiance rather than hard work and devotion. This is where the Ministry has failed in the past and will continue to fail unless something is done to address this stage in their career as a teacher; the Ministry of Education will lose them to other establishments competing for their newly acquired skills. The Ministry of Education must never forget that teachers like all other human-beings are also parents, and are involved in other relationships and have other commitment in life which the ministry must also take into consideration when dealing with their social needs. The Ministry of Education must cultivate an atmosphere and conditions at the place of work which is satisfactory and enjoyable as much for the teachers as for the students.
In the past the emphasis was on appeasing criticism from the general public of the education system and teachers were put in an awkward position where they were expected to defend the ministry even if they felt that what was being criticised was justifiable. The Ministry must be prepared to address the concerns of teachers without seeing them as enemies of the State; in fact a national forum involving teachers from all the schools in the country must be encouraged to discuss issues affecting teachers personally and the teaching profession as a whole.
In a ceremony held at the National Institute of Education (NIE) earlier in the week to officially launch Teacher’s Week, the Minister in his address urged all teachers concerned “to contribute in this endeavour (the implementation of the strategy) by promoting the teaching profession and by upholding its status and professional values”. This the teachers can only do if they have the full backing and commitment of the Ministry of Education and the Government. It is of no use telling people that your dad owns a Rolls-Royce whilst in effect the car cannot move from where it is parked because it has no engine in it or lacks the fuel to get the engine going. That is the current situation of the Ministry of Education a lot of front but very little baggage to back it up with. We are all hoping that Minister Bernard Shamlaye is in a position to turn things around for the progress of education in
THE MINISTER OF LAND USE & HABITAT SETTING THE RIGHT EXAMPLES?
The Minister for Land Use & Habitat, Joel Morgan, has taken the opportunity of the World Habitat Day this week to make political mileage where it was not really necessary. It is good to remind the Minister that the Government he belongs to does not have a choice when it comes to providing housing for the population. It is the duty of any government to do so whether they like it or not. The Minister took to lecturing home owners on how he expects them to set the right examples at home so that children may grow up to be the responsible citizens that our country needs for the betterment of our nation.
It seems that the Minister has in the past not exercised the high standard of responsibility he is demanding of us. This is the same Minister under whose direction the Ministry of Land Use & Habitat gave away US $ 4.5 million to a company without even checking on its credentials. This is the same Minister under whom land has been sold for one
In his message on the occasion of the World Habitat Day the Minister is asking the people to “Celebrate the dream of owning your own house, which has now been made into a reality by the Government and let it be the source of happiness and stability that each and every one of us longs for”. Unfortunately one hundred families will have less cause to celebrate because of the irresponsibility of the Ministry of Land Use & Habitat in losing them the dream of owning their own house. In the future before the Minister engages in self proclamation please spare a thought for the one hundred families his Ministry through its incompetence has denied a home.