President Danny Faure was honoured in unveiling the commemorative plaque accompanied by the Minister for Education and Human Resource Development, Mrs Jeanne Simeon, to officially open the Île Perseverance Secondary school. This historical event coincides with the International Day for Children being celebrated today.

Also present at this auspicious ceremony this morning was the Vice President, Mr Vincent Meriton, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable. Nicholas Prea, the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly, Honourable. Charles Decommarmond, Ministers, Members of the National Assembly as well as the Headteacher, teachers, students and parents of the school.

In her opening address, Minister Simeon expressed her sincere gratitude to President Faure his personal commitment and support towards education. She described the first secondary school on Île Perseverance as designed and crafted with a unique architecture while respecting the standards and norms set by the Ministry. “This new edifice stands as the second landmark of the island. Is it beyond doubt the pride of Ile Perseverance,” she said.

“Once more, the Government of Seychelles has honoured its commitment to providing our children with better infrastructure and a modern learning environment, where learning should be enjoyable and productive. Therefore, teachers, and other staff of Perseverance Secondary School, as well as parents, should make it their duty to continually speak to the students about the importance of these facilities for their learning and explain to them that they need to use the facilities with care and preserve them for their little brothers, sisters and fellow students who will come after,” said Minister Simeon.

Following the ceremony, the Headteacher, Ms Cecile Marcel led the President and invited guests in a tour of the new school, to view the facilities and he spoke to the teachers and students about their new school environment.

The construction of the school which started in 2016, welcomed 600 students and 44 members of staff in January this year. The project was financed partly by loans from BADEA (Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa), OFID (OPEC Fund for International Development) and the Government of Seychelles, at a cost of 60 million Seychelles Rupees.

The construction project was implemented by SAIFU, a Chinese Building Contractor, under the close supervision of the Department of Project Implementation in the Ministry of Habitat, Lands, Infrastructure and Land Transport and the Infrastructure Resource Planning Division in the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development.