University of Seychelles established
18.09.2009
President Michel named chancellor
The University of Seychelles was established yesterday in a ceremony at State House where President James Michel was named as its chancellor.
Dr Rolph Payet becomes its vice-chancellor and ex-officio president of its board of governors.
The board members are Sir Graeme Davies, vice-chancellor of the University of London; Prof David Attard, president and pro-chancellor of the University of Malta; Prof Mohamed Rochdi, president of the Université de La Réunion; Dr Shelton Joliecoeur, director of Trust & Fiduciary Services Ltd; Dr Erna Athanasius of the Health Services Agency; education expert Zotique Pragassen; Martin Kennedy, former director of the International Schools of Seychelles; and Benjamin Choppy, principal secretary for information communications technology. Elvis Julie will be its ex-officio secretary.
The board will also include one member to be elected from the students’ body, another from the university’s academic body and a parent.
The university’s office bearers are Dr Payet, Elvis Julie as registrar and secretary, with Dr Gerard Adonis as dean of the faculty of humanities and Dr George Ah-Thew as dean of the faculty of science.
Among those who attended the ceremony were Vice-President Joseph Belmont, Designated Minister Danny Faure, speaker of the National Assembly Dr Patrick Herminie, chief justice Frederick Egonda-Ntende and president of the Court of Appeal Francis MacGregor.
Also present were cabinet ministers, attorney-general Ronny Govinden, secretary of state Jean-Paul Adam, Central Bank governor Pierre Laporte, top clerics and the university’s first 55 students who are expected to start their studies next month.
Education Minister Bernard Shamlaye handed over the certificate of the establishment of the university to Dr Payet, who signed the charter of the university and gave copies to President Michel and to the minister.
Dr Payet recalled it was at the celebration of our National Day in June 2007 that the President outlined his vision for a university in Seychelles in a speech entitled Our Ambitions as a Nation, in which he talked about the ambition to rise to ever new heights and create more opportunities for our youth.
A university in Seychelles is necessary because we need the right human capacity to achieve the President’s vision, Dr Payet said, adding: “Our society cannot progress without this quantum leap into the age of knowledge.”
He said tourism, fisheries and the private sector in general need to move into a new market environment, and the government needs to improve, cut bureaucracy and use knowledge platforms to improve management and to deliver its programme. We cannot do this without a qualified human resource base.
“The Seychelles University Foundation has shown, using available market data, that the existing policy of sending students abroad using our limited resources will not address this national need, not even in the long-term,” he said.
“Today we are ready to start with 55 students. This is the team that will prove beyond any doubt that we can indeed have a quality university in Seychelles. Our ambition has always been to create a world-class university, albeit a comparatively small one.
“We knew that the creation of a university would transform the nation – not just economically, but culturally. We knew that the university would become an engine for real change and progression – in education, business, governance, technology and science.
“We hoped that we would be able to establish an institution that would offer advancement and opportunity for all Seychellois. At that time we merely hoped…but today, as the University of Seychelles becomes a reality, we are absolutely certain that this will be the case.”
Mr Shamlaye said without our own university, we have had to send students overseas for higher studies.
“Some 30 years after we democratised primary and secondary education and significantly expanded technical and vocational education training, we are creating the dedicated structures and mobilising the resources for the national provision of university education,” he said.
“These may be modest beginnings, but what is significant is that as a nation we have crossed the threshold from thinking we are too small to have a university to taking the bold step of actually establishing one.”
The minister said the national university is expected to promote national values and to contribute to developing an active citizenship, taking our place in the world and playing our role in the country’s improvement and progress.
Alain St Ange, who was the master of ceremonies, said in 2007 President Michel planted the seed for a Seychelles University and “today, just over two years later, we are gathered here to formalise the official establishment of the university”.
“This is no small feat, it is an achievement, and today, with national pride, it is an honour for me to stand here to coordinate this ceremony that will establish our country’s university, a university in paradise,” he said.
He said the formality gave our university the “licence to teach and the power to award degrees among other roles”.
Mr St Ange said our young Seychellois need the degrees, which are now a requirement for work permits in most countries.
One of the students, Medora William, thanked President Michel for initiating the University of Seychelles and all those who have worked tirelessly towards its foundation.