Seychelles target is to achieve 100 percent literacy over the next ten years Education and Youth Minister Danny Faure said on Friday September 5.

Launching a series of activities at the National Library to mark the Silver Jubilee of literacy in Seychelles, Minister Faure said the United Nations had declared the period of 2003 to 2013 as the decade of literacy and Seychelles' challenge was to achieve a 100% literacy over this period of time.

The event at the National Library was the opening of an exhibition on adult literacy. The ceremony was attended by principal secretary for Education MacSuzie Mondon, other officials from the ministry as well as participants of the adult literacy programme.

Minister Faure said the initiative taken by the government in 1978 to democratise the education system, making it a right for all children to have equal access to education, and the strategy adopted to increase the percentage of literates among the population, were today bearing fruits.

“25 years later the sun is still shinning on us, all our children are still enjoying their right to free education and are still going to school. Together we have succeeded in making 92% of our population literate. They know how to read, write and count,”  Minister Faure said.

“In the name of the government I salute the remarkable effort and determination of all our leaders, trainers, educators and all teachers who throughout the past 25 years have undertaken this noble task,” Minister Faure said.

He also paid tribute to a pioneer in the adult literacy programme, the late Mrs Barbara Quan Yat Qune, whose love and dedication, he said, had resulted in the achievement of a solid and successful programme.

Talking about the 100 percent literacy target Minister Faure said: “We all have to double  our efforts to turn this dream into reality and achieve this 100% target.”

Staged by the Adult Learning and Distance Education Centre (ALDEC), the exhibition

retraced the different stages in the development of the adult learning programme over the past 25 years.

This was showcased through a variety of  photos, testimonies, documents and projects such as poetry, games, stories, among other works done by the participants of the programme.

A section displaying information about ALDEC was also set up to allow members of the public to find out more about what it offers.

The exhibition is only the first among several other activities being organised throughout this week to mark the Silver Jubilee of literacy in Seychelles and which also coincides with the International Literacy Day, celebrated on Sunday September 7.

On Monday September 8,  there will be a presentation of certificates at the National Theatre for the longest serving instructors who have been with the adult literacy programme since its inception.

Other activities include programmes of the SBC television and radio.

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