October 5, 2010 -- In  his Teachers' Day message President James Michel has called for the strengthening of partnership in the education of our children.

Teacher's Day
October 5, 2010
Message from President James Michel

Education takes place at home, at school and in the community. It is we the parents, the teachers, and all other people around, who, together, are responsible for the education of our nation.

We have to strengthen the partnership because education is the backbone of progress in our rapidly advancing Seychelles. 

On Teachers Day, we pay tribute to the noble vocation of teaching. Teachers are gifted with many qualities. They are able to transfer knowledge. They are the architects of the future of the children. At the same time they are able to love, manage, instill discipline, heal the little souls, and also act as parents.

Teachers have a profound influence on a nation's future.  
 
The theme for Teachers' Day this year, "Strengthening the Partnership for Success in Education", recognises the fact that parents and the communities, too,  must all join the efforts to build a more harmonious and prosperous society. 

With the thrust for greater partnership, we have recently witnessed the emergence of new initiatives in the management landscape of schools.  School councils have been introduced in all state schools. 

The partnership approach gives the communities greater opportunities to participate in and assume key roles and responsibilities in school-improvement efforts and decision-making processes.  Partnership will facilitate collaboration between the Department of Education, the school councils and communities. 

School leaders and managers will need to embrace the change with optimism and provide the necessary structure to ensure effective partnership. 

With the advent of the Education Reform 2009/2010, teachers work in an environment characterized by change and innovation. We now have the University of Seychelles. We want quality education -- it is one of our targets in the Millennium Development Goals, MDG+ process.  It is imperative, therefore, that teachers get the support of parents and communities. 

It is more important than ever to continue to protect our investments in public education to ensure that every child obtains the most from the learning facilities.  Our continued economic strength depends on our ability to prepare us to face challenges. Education is not merely about preparing our children for the jobs of tomorrow -- it is also about a society of virtues and morals.

I urge all parents and communities to take a more active role in the education of our children. It is the responsibility of every adult to be part of the partnership for the building of an environment that is conducive for the education of our children, both in and out of the schools and homes.

The organization on Teacher's Day of the national education conference under the theme of "Working Together Towards Empowerment and Quality in Education" is a continuation of the strengthening of the process to bring out the potentials in our children.  I wish the participants a fruitful and constructive exchange of views.  

I thank all the teachers of Seychelles for their hard work and dedication. Happy Teachers' Day!