Environment ministers converge in Nairobi

From: Kenya Broadcasting Corporation

Written By:Rosalia Opondo    , Posted: Mon, Mar 29, 2010

Environment Ministers from ten African countries are converging at the UNEP headquarters in Gigiri to discuss ways of promoting better use of coastal resources in the region.

Under the aegis of Conference of Parties (COP - 6), the Nairobi Convention will discuss how to strengthen laws on pollution in order to conserve the shared resource of the Indian Ocean. The Western Indian Ocean is one of the richest ecosystems in the world with important mangrove forests, sea grass beds and coral reefs. It is thought to hold more than 11,000 species of plants and animals.

But growing population has led to an exponential increase in pollution through overflow of sewage, chemicals and other pollutants from the land. Deputy Director in charge of Coastal, marine and freshwater at the National Environment Management Agency (NEMA) noted that land based pollution challenges will be given prominence. "One of the protocols being discussed is that dealing with land based sources and activities. Over 80 % of our pollution to environment comes from land, and we are trying to address this," he told KBC news. For the next three days, they will deliberate on how to tighten legislation and national co-operation, in order to conserve the ocean. "The conditions you find in a coastal zone are very similar to conditions in coastal zones in countries that share the same convention," he said This means pollution in one past of Africa will eventually affect other parts.

Dr. Rolph Payet, a participant from Seychelles noted that education on co-operation between users of coastal resources is vital for the survival of marine facilities. According to UNEP, some 30 million people living around the ocean depend upon the area's marine and coastal resources for food, livelihoods and recreation. COP-6 to the Nairobi Convention  is a defining moment as the meeting is expected to among others, adopt the Amended Nairobi Convention as well as endorse the Strategic Action Programme for the Protection of the Marine and Coastal Environment in the Western Indian Ocean from Land- based Sources and Activities (SAP);  The theme of the Conference is Sustaining Progress, and recommendations will be presented to Environment ministers.

New council aims at innovation to take us onwards

Seychelles Nation - 19.03.2010
The newly formed Seychelles Innovation and Technology Council aims to promote a creative society to bring Seychelles towards a new stage in its development.

Its chairman Dr Rolph Payet said this during the first meeting with all the other members, in the Vice-President’s office at State House yesterday.

In his opening remarks, he said the council brings together a wide diversity of talented individuals to work towards creating a platform for innovation.

“The council will create the drive and motivation for innovation,” he said.

He said innovation is about change, the need to continuously improve on things and, above all, it is a way of life. It is meeting the needs of today’s generation and preparing for tomorrow’s generation.
“It has to dominate in our productive industries, such as fisheries and tourism, and also in sports and our culture,” added Dr Payet.

He said innovation has to permeate our society and our social fabric so as to address our current social challenges.
The role of the council is to interact with the government, the private sector and all stakeholders, to see how we can develop and review the way we do things, he added.

And it is also about how we can improve our services and bring innovation into the lives of Seychellois, as there is a need for us to develop our potential and bring in new ideas.

“There are many innovations that have taken place in the environment, using ideas from different organisations,” said Dr Payet.

He said innovation is not always about technological development but it also means new ideas and ways of doing things for the benefit of our economy, our people and our country.

Dr Payet also spoke about the variety of activities proposed by the council for this year, including the launch of the Seychelles Innovation Programme, which may lead to national innovation awards.

He said the University of Seychelles also plays a key role in fostering innovation as it carries out a great deal of research.

“We have to take models from countries like Singapore, which has invested in its social resources to move forward,” he added.

Seychelles has been recently recognised as a country that has put in place certain innovations, especially in the environment, he said. President James Michel received awards last year from Unesco and Lebanon on our behalf, which shows our potential.

Other educational activities to feature during the year will be national quizzes and spelling-bees, and promotion of research in educational institutions.

The council also has some long-term objectives, which include nurturing creativity and innovation as part of a lifelong learning process at all levels of society, and making all educational institutions centres of learning, creativity and innovation.

The new council’s role was outlined in Mr Michel’s recent state-of-the-nation address, in which he stressed that the innovative drive of the Seychellois people has been recognised internationally.

Its members are from the fields of business, industry, economics, education, the law and the arts.

UniSey hosts induction for trainee teachers

Seychelles Nation - 15.03.2010
A group of 85 students who have enrolled on the University of Seychelles’ (UniSey) School of Education programme attended an induction session at their auditorium, Mont Fleuri, last week.

These students are following a two-year foundation programme leading eventually to a bachelor of education degree.

During the meeting, UniSey vice-chancellor Dr Rolph Payet spoke about the university and its policies, in the presence of School of Education head Alex Souffe, UniSey’s School of Sciences dean Dr George Ah-Thew and registrar Elvis Julie.

They gave presentations on a variety of subjects such as student regulations, code of conduct, academic calendar and allowances.

Dr Payet said induction is very important for students, as they need to know what is expected from them so they can enter the university’s framework.

He said these students were chosen according to their grades and they had to meet the entry requirements. They are made up of S5 school leavers and those who did not get the necessary grades after their ex-National Institute of Education exams and A-levels.

A-level students who have not performed well can resit the exams and then enrol on the first year of the degree programme after gaining the required grades, Dr Payet said.

“The foundation course is a special one, and we have decided to enrol S5 leavers as there is a great demand for teachers here,” he said.

He added that the programme will equip students with the basic and necessary skills, for example in English, maths, communication and research to better prepare them for degree courses.

The programme, which started on Monday, is certified by Cambridge University, and after achieving that level students can join the degree courses, Dr Payet said.

He said UniSey will help to raise standards in schools, but this does not mean there are no good teachers at present.

Since there is now a university here we can work more closely with the schools, and trainee teachers can do research here for the benefit of the schools, children and students.

“We want to train good teachers to bring about the change that we need in schools; at present there are many expatriates here,” he said.

During the degree course, students will get the opportunity to do their practical work here in our own schools, he added.

Dr Payet said there is also a scheme for teachers who have completed their diploma and advanced diploma, and this will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

He added that the university does not tap into the budget set by the government for primary and secondary schools. Instead, it uses the scholarship funds which have previously sent students abroad.

“Now we have a university here, and it is offering many courses at cheaper rates for the people of Seychelles,” he said.

The teachers’ training to graduate level will be done in partnership with Edith Cowan University in Australia, the University of London and the University of Reunion.

The School of Education is offering a four-year degree course in early childhood and primary education.

And those who want to teach at secondary level will be able to choose a three-year specialist subject degree that will be followed by a one-year Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

This specialist degree will be offered in a variety of subjects such as English, French, history and geography.

UniSey finance degree courses to meet our need

Seychelles Nation  - 19.02.2010
Representatives from the London School of Economics (LSE) have explained the finance and environment degree courses they will run through the University of Seychelles (UniSey) from September.

The LSE’s external studies dean Dr Ray Richardson and its external programme director Professor Rosie Gosling presented four degree programmes – accounting and finance, banking and finance, economics and finance, and geography and environment – to prospective students yesterday.

Present at the session, in UniSey’s School of Education auditorium, Mont Fleuri, were the university’s vice-chancellor Dr Rolph Payet, its School of Humanities dean Dr Gerard Adonis and Seychelles International Business Authority chief executive Steve Fanny.

Also there were UniSey’s School of Sciences dean Dr George Ah-Thew and representatives of banks and offshore companies.

In his opening remarks, Mr Fanny said many emerging and developing nations like Seychelles face challenges in banking, government revenue and budgeting, and the design of long-term financial strategy due to a shortage of specialist personnel.

“The government has responded specifically to the need for enhanced capacity in finance management, financial sector supervision and private sector finance through the setting-up of UniSey,” he said.

He said the university will play a pivotal role in building human resources capacity in a sustainable, economical and efficient manner.

Mr Fanny added that these courses, to be offered in collaboration with one of the top universities in the United Kingdom, will cover a wide range of skills to meet the financial needs of the country.

Prof Gosling said the LSE is a college in the University of London, which will provide academic support to UniSey.

There is a strong relationship between the LSE and UniSey, which started three years ago when Dr Payet came to London, she added.

Prof Gosling said the LSE is very pleased to work with an institution like UniSey, which is presenting many opportunities to the people of Seychelles.

The University of London provides opportunities for people studying abroad, and the first such programme in the Indian Ocean region started in Mauritius, she said.

“This university was the first to offer degree courses at a distance, and now over 47,000 students study externally,” she said, adding that the students here will graduate with a University of London degree. 

She explained that the LSE will be doing the capacity building – developing opportunities for students and also providing lecturers with the necessary training to teach programmes that are internationally recognised.

Dr Payet said these four courses are very demanding, and students need to have at least two A-levels with minimum B grades.

But students whose grades are not good enough can still enrol on the foundation programme and the university will prepare them for the course, he said.

“We are also encouraging students from the School of Business Studies to do their first degree in accounting, and then they can get an exemption when they follow their Association of Chartered Certified Accountants programme,” he said.

Dr Payet said both the government and private sector are willing to offer scholarships for these new degree programmes as demand is very high in these fields.

He said they already have a group of lecturers and soon they will recruit others for specialised courses like finance and accounts.

For the third year, UniSey will get foreign lecturers as the modules are much more specialised.