The Principal Secretary for Education Services, Ms Merna Eulentin attended the ‘Eastern and Southern Africa Sub-Regional Consultation Meeting on the 2024 Global Education Meeting and its outcome document’ from 2nd to 3rd September 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. PS Eulentin was accompanied by the Secretary General of the Seychelles National Commission, Mrs Vicky Michel and the Senior Economist from the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Trade, Mrs Shirin Laporte. This meeting was organized by UNESCO and UNICEF in line with the Education 2030 Framework for Action and strategies for the acceleration of SDG4 in preparation for the Global Education Meeting to be held in Fortaleza, Brazil from 31st October to 1st November 2024.The objective of this sub-regional consultation was to compile feedback on the Draft Fortaleza Declaration made from national consultations conducted in Eastern and Southern African countries identified as strategies and priority actions to accelerate SDG4 implementation that will bring a transformation in education.
From Left to Right: Secretary General of the Seychelles National Commission for UNESCO, Mrs Vicky Michel, Principal Secretary for Education Services, Ms Merna Eulentin, Senior Economist at the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Trade, Mrs Shirin Laporte
The first priority action in the Draft Fortaleza Declaration is to unlock the transformative power of education in key sectors like climate and environment, peace and human rights, Science, technology and Innovation and digital transformation, gender equality and health and nutrition. The second priority is to accelerate progress towards SDG4 by focusing on inclusion, equity and gender equality, on lifelong learning and skills development for work and the future, on teaching and the teaching profession and governance and leadership in education. The third priority is to invest more and equitably and efficiently in education; to consider tax justice and reforms, aid effectiveness and debt sustainability, innovative financing, efficiency and equity in investment and cross-sectoral resource mobilization for education.
Ms Merna Eulentin, Principal Secretary for Education Services made a presentation on Climate and Environment during a panel discussion on Cross Sectoral Perspectives on Transformative Education. PS Eulentin mentioned how Climate change is being integrated in the curriculum and taught in subjects like Geography and Science. Strategies for greening education achieved through the Eco School Programme was highlighed. Mention was made of other sectors working with the Ministry of Education like the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Ministry of Land Transport, Seychelles Infrastructure Agency, Ministry of Local Government. The Seychelles Government commitment to climate change through budget allocations was also highlighted (i.e. 12.5 million rupees allocated for coastal projects for 2025 for the Department of Environment and Climate Change).
