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The current higher education landscape prevailing in the Seychelles_ppt.pptx
1. The current higher
education landscape
prevailing in the
Seychelles
Name: Mrs.Vanesa Finesse (MSc)
Quality Assurance Officer (Seychelles Business Studies Academy)
Seychelles
2. Agenda
Background of the educational system in the Seychelles
The Higher Education Landscape in the Seychelles;
Tertiary non-university education and training and tertiary
university education institutions
Public and private providers
Regulatory Framework
Qualifications Framework
The Qualifications Map
Observations
Conclusion
3. Background
of the
educational
system in the
Seychelles
The structure of the Seychelles education system comprises of
both formal and non-formal educational frameworks.
The formal education framework includes five main levels;
pre-primary (crèche)
primary
secondary (up to Cambridge A-Level)
tertiary non-university education and training (Professional
Centres)
tertiary university education and training
• The informal educational framework includes non-formal early
childhood, adult education and social and youth activities.
4. Background
of the
educational
system in the
Seychelles
(cont.)
Duration of compulsory education in the Seychelles is 11 years,
from ages 6 to 16 years.
Up until December 2015 the duration of compulsory education
was 10 years, from ages 6 to 15 years.
From January 2016 compulsory education in the Seychelles
increased by an additional year in secondary education; six years
of primary and five years of secondary education.
11 years of free education.
Ministry of Education classifies the National Education
Programmes from non-formal early childhood to tertiary
university education and training according to the International
Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011).
6. The Higher
Education
Landscape in
theSeychelles
Higher education landscape in the Seychelles is characterised by
two main sectors;
the tertiary non-university education and training sector
(Professional Centres): provide learning experiences building on
secondary education, preparing learners for labour market entry
as well as tertiary university education
the tertiary university education sector: provide learning activities
at a higher level of complexity and specialisation. Builds on the
secondary education and tertiary non-university education and
training.
7. The Higher
Education
Landscape in
theSeychelles
Tertiary non-university
education and training sector
(Professional Centres)
10 institutions offering tertiary non-
university education and training:
Seychelles Institute of Distance and
Open Learning (SIDOL)
Seychelles Business Studies
Academy (SBSA)
Seychelles Institute of Art and
Design (SIAD)
National Institute for Health and
Social Studies (NIHSS)
Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA)
Seychelles Institute ofTeacher
Education (SITE)
Seychelles Institute of Agriculture
and Horticulture (SIAH)
Seychelles Institute ofTechnology
(SIT)
Seychelles Maritime Academy (SMA)
The Guy Morel Institute (TGMI)
Tertiary university education
sector
University of Seychelles
(Unisey)
8. The Higher
Education
Landscape in
theSeychelles
Public providers
All 10 institutions offering
tertiary non-university
education and training in the
Seychelles.
University of Seychelles
(Unisey) offering tertiary
university education.
Private providers
No registered private
institutions offering tertiary
non-university education and
training or tertiary university
education in the Seychelles.
United States American
Institute of Medicine (USAIM)
operated in the Seychelles
under the name University of
Seychelles-American
Institute of Medicine prior to
2010.
9. The Higher
Education
Landscape in
theSeychelles
Regulatory framework
Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) was established inApril 2012.
The responsibility ofTEC was articulated through theTertiary Education
Act (TEA) of 2011, which sought to regulate the tertiary education
sector.
Emergence of theTEA and therefore of the Commission, was the
imminence of the setting up of the University of Seychelles and the need
for a legislative framework to facilitate its birth. (Domingue, 2021).
As per the law which set up the Commission,TEC has three main roles
(prior to dissolution):
A regulatory role: It holds providers and their owners accountable for the
implementation of regulations and policies.
A recommending role: It will formulate proposals for the development of
tertiary education for submission to the appropriate authority/ies.
An advisory role: It will advise the Minister on the preparation of further
legislation on tertiary education.
10. The Higher
Education
Landscape in
theSeychelles
Qualifications framework
Seychelles QualificationsAuthority (SQA) was established in March
2006 through the enactment, in November 2005, of the Seychelles
QualificationsAuthority Act.
Mandated to develop, implement and maintain a NationalQualifications
Framework (NQF) and provide for quality assurance of education and
training nationally.
NQF formalises the requirement for both public and private education
and training providers throughout the country to deliver quality-
assured, nationally recognised, consistent standards and qualifications.
(Seychelles QualificationsAuthority, 2021)
Main functions of SQA:
to formulate and implement a NationalQualifications Framework;
to keep and maintain a register of recognized qualifications;
to promote the quality and standards of education and training through
a system of accreditation, validation and quality assurance;
to review the policies and criteria on which the framework of
qualifications is based;
to establish criteria for, and monitor the process of recognition of
competencies obtained outside formal education and training;
to evaluate and establish equivalence of foreign qualifications;
11. The Higher
Education
Landscape in
theSeychelles
Qualifications framework (cont.)
• Main functions of SQA (cont.):
to facilitate learners’ access to and progression within the national
education and training system;
to maintain a database on all providers of education and training;
to promote international recognition of local qualifications;
to ensure the protection of the interests of learners; and
to advise the Minister on matters relating to the functions of the
Authority at the Minister’s request or otherwise.
13. The Higher
Education
Landscape in
theSeychelles
The Qualifications Map
The Seychelles QualificationsAuthority has adopted a 10 level
Qualifications map.
The Qualifications Map can be defined as “the structure of nationally
approved qualifications in terms of defined levels and their descriptors,
qualifications types, notional hours and pathways”. (SQA, 2011)
The lowest qualification type on the map is the Primary Qualification
and the highest the Doctoral and Post-DoctoralQualifications.
Generally, the map builds on the hierarchy of competencies, with each
level of qualification becoming increasingly more complex as progress is
made up the pathway of the map.
This hierarchy of competencies is best seen in the level descriptors.
A minimum number of notional hours has been set for the qualification
types to provide some flexibility in the design and implementation of
programmes.
The map is geared mostly at the tertiary education level. Since the
NationalCurriculum is geared mostly at the primary and secondary
education, it is comprehensible that the NQF addresses principally the
higher levels of education and training.
14. Observations
The Seychelles’ private sector of higher education is largely under
developed when compared to countries in the region for example
Mauritius.
There is potential to attract foreign direct investment to the
country through the development of this untapped market.
But, how can the existing legal and regulatory frameworks be
adjusted to accommodate the needs of the tertiary education
landscape in the Seychelles?
Dissolution ofTEC following the revision of theTertiary Education
Act and the SQA Act means the functions ofTEC have now been
shifted to the Ministry of Education.
Again this leads to the question: what will be the implications of
these changes for the institutions operating in the tertiary
education landscape in the Seychelles?
15. Conclusion
The higher education landscape is still in a stage of infancy in the
Seychelles. Presently, no registered private institutions offering
tertiary non-university education and training and tertiary
university education.
There is a clear prospect for further development and expansion of
the sector provided that there is equally robust legal and
regulatory frameworks to support such undertakings.
The lack of impetus regarding the concept of internationalisation
of higher education means the concept is yet to pick up
momentum among policy makers and the public in general in the
Seychelles.
