NIE to be university’s School of Education
06.11.2009
As from January 2010, the National Institute of Education (NIE) will become the School of Education within the University of Seychelles (UniSey).
Dr Payet (left in photo above) addressing the meeting
It will fall under the Faculty of Sciences but will be housed in the present NIE building at Mont Fleuri.
This was announced at a recent meeting with the NIE staff by UniSey Vice-Chancellor Dr Rolph Payet, who said the present building and its facilities will be refurbished, upgraded and reconfigured to meet the working requirements of the new school.
All long-term courses will lead to degree awards, which will increase the number of teachers with degrees and provide more professional development opportunities in the teaching profession.
It is also in line with the university’s mandate as a key player in the development of education, life-long learning and a knowledge-based society.
The UniSey School of Education will offer a four-year degree programme in early childhood and primary education. There will also be a three-year subject specialist degree that will be followed by a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) for those wanting to teach in secondary education.
The three-year degree will be in various subjects such as English, maths, French, geography, IT and history. Technical subjects and the arts will be included as soon as possible.
The new courses will be run in partnership with the Edith Cowan University in Australia, the University of London External Programme in the UK, l’Université de la Réunion and eventually with the University of Malta. The degrees will be validated by these universities.
At a later stage UniSey will also offer master’s degree programmes in education.
While the university’s normal academic year runs from September to June, the School of Education’s will run from January to December. But the teaching will be based on the trimester system adopted by UniSey, to ensure uniformity in the academic programmes.
The School of Education is now carrying out interviews for lecturers. Those NIE staff who do not move to the new school will stay in employment with the Ministry of Education. Unisey will also develop a network of local part-time and international lecturers to complement its main staff.
Principal secretary for education Jeanne Simeon was also present to clarify the concerns of the NIE staff. She said a framework is already in place to retain them and soon they will be informed about it.
Dr Payet said the Seychelles government is committed to providing a system of high-quality education and human resources development that responds to national needs. This, he said, will be achieved through the training and development of highly motivated and competent teachers who will become more professional.