46368 SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA: Seychelles Country Report ICT in Education in the Seychelles by Shafika Isaacs July 2007 Source: World Fact Book1 Please note: This short Country Report, a result of a larger infoDev-supported Survey of ICT in Education in Africa, provides a general overview of current activities and issues related to ICT use in education in the country. The data presented here should be regarded as illustrative rather than exhaustive. ICT use in education is at a particularly dynamic stage in Africa; new developments and announcements happening on a daily basis somewhere on the continent. Therefore, these reports should be seen as "snapshots" that were current at the time they were taken; it is expected that certain facts and figures presented may become dated very quickly. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are entirely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of infoDev, the Donors of infoDev, the World Bank and its affiliated organizations, the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply on the part of the World Bank any judgment of the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. It is expected that individual Country Reports from the Survey of ICT and Education in Africa will be updated in an iterative process over time based on additional research and feedback received through the infoDev web site. For more information, and to suggest modifications to individual Country Reports, please see www.infodev.org/ict4edu-Africa. Seychelles - 1 www.infodev.org SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA: Seychelles Country Report Overview Seychelles is considered as one of the richest countries in Africa by income per capita. The government has made some strides in the promotion of ICTs as a learning subject as part of the national curriculum. According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the country has a national ICT policy, although it does not as yet have a specific policy on ICTs in education. A limited number ICT projects have been attempted in the education sector to date. Introduction Seychelles comprises 115 islands and islets scattered over the Indian Ocean, 75 of which are uninhabited and volcanic. It has the smallest population of any sovereign state in Africa with 88% being accommodated in Mahé, the largest island. The main economic activities are tourism and marine fishing, along with some agriculture and small-scale manufacturing. Tourism employs 30% of the workforce and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings. Seychelles is also member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Indian Ocean Commission and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern African States (COMESA).2 In 2004 Seychelles was ranked by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as a high-income country at 47th out of 177 countries on the Human Development Index. However it is also per capita, the most highly indebted country in the world with a total public debt of 122.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The debt burden is a function of an over-valued exchange rate that has caused the country to borrow extensively both domestically and from multilateral institutions.3 Table 1 provides some selected socio-economic indicators for Seychelles. Table 1: Socio-economic Indicators: Seychelles Indicator Population 84,494 (2005) Languages Official language: English. National language: Creole. 2005 Economic activity (% Agriculture: 2.7% of GDP) Industry: 28.0% Services: 69.4% Human Development Index 47 (out of 177 countries) Per capita Gross National 2000: $7,300 (2002); $8,170 (2004) Income (US dollars) $8,290 (2005) The Education System Seychelles - 2 www.infodev.org SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA: Seychelles Country Report After completing six years of primary school and three years of secondary school, students who wish to continue, needed to attend a National Youth Service (NYS) programme in order to pursue further studies. This two-year programme has historically been the source of much controversy because it was perceived as being of inferior quality and it did not allow learners to live with their parents.. The duration of the NYS programme was later changed to one year, and in 1993 attendance in the programme was no longer a requirement for further education such as at the Seychelles Polytechnic. Because of the absence of higher education institutions in the country, higher education can only be pursued abroad, as there are no opportunities in Seychelles.4 Table 2 provides a quantitative perspective of some selected system indicators.5 Table 2: Selected Education Data Indicator Enrolment in primary education 110 (2004) (% gross)* Enrolment in secondary education 102 (2004) (% gross)* Transition to secondary 95 (2003) Gender Parity Index (GPI)** 1.00 in primary; 1.08 in secondary (2004) *Percent of gross is the number enrolled as a percentage of the number in the eligible age group. **GPI = gross enrolment ratio (GER) of females, divided by the GER of males and indicates the level of access by females to education compared with males. In Seychelles, the GPI suggests that there is gender parity in primary and secondary schools. Infrastructure An e-readiness assessment of southern African countries conducted by SADC in 2002 rates Seychelles as having among the most developed infrastructure compared with other southern African countries. Seychelles also rates among the highest in terms of fixed-line density, mobile phone penetration, electricity penetration, PC penetration, Internet access, and number of households with television and radio. However, despite having a good infrastructure, there are reportedly disparities in the use of distribution and use.6 Table 3 provides a snapshot of the state of national ICT infrastructure in Seychelles.7 Table 3: ICT in Seychelles Indicator Fixed-line subscribers (2004) 70 per 1,000 persons Mobile subscribers (2004) 49 per 1,000 persons Dial-up subscribers (2004) 3.3 per 1,000 persons Internet users (2004) 20 per 1,000 persons Seychelles - 3 www.infodev.org SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA: Seychelles Country Report Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) Radio stations (2001) AM 1; FM 1 The linkage of Seychelles to the South Africa-Far East (SAFE) submarine cable which is a connection of over 13,800 km from Cape Town in South Africa to Malaysia, linking Mauritius, Reunion and India on the way, is still under discussion within the Seychellois government8. ICT Policies According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the Seychelles government has a national strategy on ICTs that is co-ordinated and implemented by the Ministry of Information Technology and Communication.9 Early in 2007, the Seychelles government was the last of the COMESA countries to receive financial and technical assistance to establish a national consultative ICT committee which comprises representatives of the public and private sectors10. With reference to ICTs in education, in 2000 the government adopted Education for a Learning Society, which included the principle of introducing ICTs in schools and which affirms a commitment by the Ministry of Education to provide the widest possible access to information technology and harnessing its full potential for supporting and enhancing the learning process.11 A national curriculum document also identifies ICT as a key learning area. In 2005 the president of Seychelles announced that under a new secondary school curriculum that will be implemented as of January 2006, ICT will be introduced as an academic subject with the possibility of an International General Certificate in Secondary Education (IGSCE) in computer studies being introduced in 2007. The director for IT services in the Ministry of Education said that the programme will expose the children to ICTs at a very early age and help bridge the digital divide in the long term.12 In May 2007, the Seychelles president announced plans to popularize the use of ICTs in education through a subsidized scheme for teachers to gain access to laptops. Dell laptops will be provided to teachers at 25% of their market value and the proceeds from the sale of these laptops will be used to establish a fund for the continuity of the scheme13. Current ICT Initiatives and Projects Two of the known initiatives under way in Seychelles are: the Microsoft Partners in Learning and the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) projects.. Seychelles - 4 www.infodev.org SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA: Seychelles Country Report Microsoft Partners in Learning In 2005 Microsoft partnered with the Ministry of Education and Youth to train 166 master teacher trainers in its five-day training programme which involves basic ICT skills development and application to support learning and teaching. The agreement between Microsoft and the Ministry of Education also involved donation of software to schools. VUSSC The Ministry of Education in Seychelles hosted a meeting of Ministers of Education from small states to discuss establishing an initiative promoted by the Commonwealth of Learning known as the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) programme. The VUSSC is a network committed to the collaborative development of free content resources for education.14 Implementing ICT in Education: What Helps and What Hinders? Table 4 provides a summary of the current stage of ICT development in Seychelles in terms of enabling or constraining features in the education system. Table 4: Factors Influencing ICT Adoption Factors Enabling Features Constraining Features Policy framework and A national ICT strategy is in The country does not have a implementation place and reference is made in specific policy on ICT for the education policy to the education. promotion of ICT as a subject to be taught in schools. Advocacy leadership The former Minister of Leadership has been limited to Education championed the some representatives within promotion of ICTs in government and to a lesser extent education. from civil society agencies. . The President has made pronouncements which support the promotion of ICTs in education Gender equity There are no explicit references to the promotion of women and girls or gender equality in any existing policy documents related to ICTs or ICTs in education Infrastructure and access Relative to other countries in Africa, Seychelles ICT infrastructure is strong. Seychelles - 5 www.infodev.org SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA: Seychelles Country Report Collaborating A national consultative ICT There are limited known mechanisms committee has been established mechanisms for collaboration on which include representatives ICTs in education in the country from public an private sectors that also involves civil society agencies Human resource capacity Human resource capacity is limited, particularly in reference to ICTs in education and in view of the absence of higher education institutions in the country Fiscal resources A subsidised scheme to provide The country has no fiscal laptop access to teachers have resources dedicated to ICTs in been introduced in 2007 education. Learning content The government has introduced ICTs as a learning subject in schools. Notes 1 The World Factbook 2007. https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/se.html 2 Seychelles country profile. UNESCA. http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profiles/Seychelles/seychab.htm 3 Wikipedia: Seychelles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seychelles 4 Seychelles Education. http://www.country-studies.com/seychelles/education.html 6 Chisholm L, and Dunpath, P.A. The Use of ICTs in the Curriculum in Botswana, Namibia and Seychelles. 2004. SADC Education Policy Support Initiative. HSRC, South Africa. 7 World Telecommunications Development Report. 2006. ITU. 8 Gervais, J Henrie (2007) : "Are We ThereYet" in Highway Africa News Agency, 03/04/07 http://hana.ru.ac.za/article.cfm?articleID=1347 9 http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Seychelles/seychelles.htm 10 Gervais, J Henrie (2007) : "Committee set up to advise government on ICT" in Highway Africa News Agency, 19/01/07. http://hana.ru.ac.za/article.cfm?articleID=1260 11 Paterson, A. "Conditions Necessary for the Successful Implementation of ICT in Seychelle Schools." In The Use of ICTs in the Curriculum in Botswana, Namibia and Seychelles. 2004. SADC Education Policy Support Initiatives. HSRC, South Africa. 12 Seychelles plans new way ahead for ICT training. http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/view/117884/1/ 13 Gervais, J Henrie (2007) :Laptop Computers at a Subsidised Price. In Highway Africa News Agency, 10/05/07. http://hana.ru.ac.za/article.cfm?articleID=1383 14 A Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth . COL. http://www.col.org/colweb/site/cache/bypass/pid/3109?print=1 Given the constantly changing nature of the Internet, we suggest that you copy the document or web site title (and author or organization name, as appropriate) of a resource below into your favorite search engine if a link on this page is not working. Seychelles - 6 www.infodev.org