As we celebrate the 29^th Anniversary of Teachers’ Day in Seychelles, let us join the rest of the world in paying tribute to the millions of teachers around the globe and to our own teachers for the wonderful work they are doing and whose influence on our world is beyond imagination.  

Once again, this year we celebrate Teachers’ Day under the banner, “Education, a shared responsibility”.  It is our belief and firm conviction that education is the business of everyone. More so, for us, a small island nation, which needs the support of all its people, parents and benefactors, in order to continue maintaining access to quality education for all. I sincerely believe that teachers hold the key to the great future that we envisage for our people and for our beloved nation. 

I take this opportunity to call on the whole community for support to our teachers especially the young teachers who have chosen this profession in this era when it appears that the value of a teacher has lost its sheen and students do not want to be teachers when they grow up.  My call is in line with the UNESCO’s theme chosen for Teachers’ Day 2019, “Young teachers: The future of our profession”.  Let this Global Teachers Day Theme 2019, be a reminder that we need to promote the teaching profession among our young people.  Let the campaign start to address the issues central for attracting and keeping the brightest minds and young talents in the profession (UNESCO, 2019). The Sustainable Development Goals on quality education and lifelong learning recognise teachers as central to the achievement of the 2030 Education Agenda.

As a government, we want to acknowledge and give recognition to the vital role teachers play and the commitment needed to develop and build the country’s next generation.  Hence, our investment in the future and in teachers must focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning.  Government will continue to empower teachers by providing access to quality training opportunities and relevant continued professional development for this 21st century. 

Teachers, also need to invest in themselves. They have a responsibility to keep abreast with educational innovations by reading and researching and applying new strategies and modalities in classrooms that are constantly changing.

Teachers’ Day also provides an opportunity to revitalise the image of the teaching profession as a vocation and to honour the women and men who inspire, challenge and nurture our youth on a daily basis. The country expects a lot from teachers – they, in turn, also expect a lot from government, civil society, parents and students.   

Let us strive as a nation to encourage our youth to choose the teaching profession as their preferred career choice.  We need to recruit and retain a new generation of talented and dedicated teachers.

On this International Teachers’ Day 2019, on behalf of the Seychellois nation I extend my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all the teachers who have served for a very long time and are retiring at the end of the year.  We highly value your contributions in making a difference in the lives of young people.

Congratulations and Happy Teachers’ Day 2019.