The Ministry of Education is reviewing its ‘Inclusive Education Policy’ of 2015 and as part of the plan, it will be transforming the Au Cap primary and Plaisance secondary schools into two inclusive schools in January next year, as part of a pilot project.
Yesterday, the ministry through the Inclusive Education Working Group, held a one-day symposium titled ‘Demystifying Inclusive Education’, at the University of Seychelles’ auditorium at Anse Royale, to explain the term to its partners, as part of activities to commemorate Teachers’ Week.
Senior Education Officer for Special Needs, Renette Darko, who described the day as a historic one, said it was important to bring all the partners together to address this important issue and remove the misconceptions that presently exist with regard to inclusive education.
“Some of them find it to be confusing and we even get educators who say they do not understand it or cannot implement it,” said Mrs Darko.
She said the symposium was a time of reflection for all the stakeholders and they “expect a change of mindset especially with regard to our educators in mainstream schools and we expect to see more collaborative approach, to ensure children with special needs progress, because they have the ability to progress”.
It should be noted that for the first time in a symposium, the guests included children with visual and hearing impairment.
When launching the working session, the Minister for Education Dr Justin Valentin said Seychelles had made progress in education for all, as stipulated in its Constitution which through its Article 33 stipulates that the State recognises the right of every citizen to education.
He said that this however, necessitates the active participation of all stakeholders including the government, individuals, and institutions.
He added that Seychelles is also signatory to various international agreements where inclusive education was a global obligation; namely under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16-25), and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The minister said that although Seychelles launched its Inclusive Education Policy in 2015, the policy was not implemented systematically and it did not achieve its intended purpose and “seven years later, the Education Community cannot repeat the same mistake as this would be a disservice to our students”.
“We therefore need to do what is right – to open the doors to equal attention and opportunities to all. That is to create an inclusive education system which ultimately lead to having an inclusive society,” he added.
The minister also announced that in line with this, the ministry was expecting the arrival of educational materials at the end of the month that will be used for special needs learning.
Resources remain as one of the key challenges for the Special Needs Unit. According to the Principal Education Officer for Student Support Services, Wendy Moyo, the materials are not available locally and have to be sourced overseas and are also costly.
However she said the main challenge is attitude “which is the worst enemy to inclusion”. Mrs Moyo, who has worked for several years with learners with various special educational needs, added that although Seychelles has made great strides with regard to inclusivity, with visual impaired and autistic learners being accepted in mainstream school system, the country still needs to do more and should continue to harp on the message “to let children be children and not put them aside, regardless if they have a speech problem or they are not learning as fast as another child”.
Yesterday’s symposium included presentations by experts in special needs education, parents who have children with special needs and the participation of the children themselves.
15-year-old Fredrick Gappy, who is diagnosed as being autistic, addressed the guests to share his experience after having followed mainstream schooling since 2020. Fredrick, who is a student from Plaisance secondary, aspires to be a scientist and leads a fun and fulfilled life, excelling in his studies and sports.
He is a peer educator, a member of the Duke of Edinburgh programme, a swimmer as well as fervent runner in the various national races. His presentation at yesterday’s symposium ended with a standing ovation from the participants.
According to his mother, Claire Gappy, Fredrick fits in well in the school although he still faces some challenges. “There’s a lot of noises in the classes which he hates, and he still finds it difficult to adapt, especially when they change teachers without notice and way too quickly but these issues do not hinder his progress or learning. He is doing extremely well and I am always there to support and guide him,” said Mrs Gappy.
Following yesterday’s symposium, all the participants were asked to propose two recommendations to the Inclusive Education Working Group. The director general for Education, Cyril Pillay said these recommendations will now be used to review the Inclusive Education Policy.
“All the suggestions, proposals and ideas will be looked at carefully and presented to the executive and later included in our policy. The policy will be used in January next year to guide us as we transform two schools, namely Au Cap primary and Plaisance secondary, into two inclusive schools in Seychelles,” said Mr Pillay.
This means they will accept all learners. Mr Pillay added that the materials arriving at the end of the month will be distributed to these two schools to facilitate the learning.
Yesterday’s symposium was attended by representatives from various ministries, including Education, Health, Employment and Social Affairs, Youth Sports and Family, Local Government and Community Affairs, and non-governmental organisations and agencies working with learners with special needs.
Source: Seychelles Nation