Supporting The Public Sector of Seychelles

public-sector

Education

Public spending on education was five per cent of GDP in 2007. Free, government-funded education has been available in the country since 1981. There are ten years of compulsory education starting at the age of six. Primary school comprises six years and secondary five, with some 94 per cent of pupils completing primary school (2010). Teaching is in Creole, French and English. The Ministry of Education serves as the official regulator of the education sector.

There are three main private schools in the Seychelles – École Française, the International School and the Independent school, all of which are located in Mahé. The International School has a second branch on Praslin.

There are several post-secondary educational institutions on the islands. The Seychelles Polytechnic opened in January 1983 at Anse Royale on the island of Mahé. It offers courses in business and the visual arts to diploma level and has been providing first-year degree courses in conjunction with the University of Manchester, UK, since 2001. The Seychelles Institute of Technology was established in

Providence, Mahé, in 2005–06, incorporating the technical studies programmes of the Polytechnic. The female–male ratio for gross enrolment in tertiary education is 3.40:1 (2011). Literacy among people aged 15–24 is 99 per cent (2010).

 

Health

Public spending on health was three per cent of GDP in 2010. A network of polyclinics provides general medical care, dentistry and other services. The public health service depends heavily on medical personnel from overseas. There are private health and dental clinics available in Mahé and Praslin and a private health clinic on La Digue. There is no malaria, yellow fever or bilharzia in the country. Infant mortality was 12 per 1,000 live births in 2011 (43 in 1978).

 

Transport

There are 458 km of roads, 96 per cent of which are paved, but only Mahé, Praslin and La Digue have surfaced roads. The Seychelles Public Transport Corporation is the sole provider of road-based public transport and buses. Cruise ships and cargo ships call at Victoria port in Mahé.

Airports: The main airport, Seychelles International Airport, is located at Point Larue, 10 km from Victoria. It is regularly served by a variety of international airlines, with services to many European destinations as well as to parts of Africa and Asia. The national carrier is Air Seychelles, which operates international services to several countries. Seychelles also welcomes private aircrafts and small airstrips can be found on several outlying islands.