Editing Seychelles (section)

=== Education ===
{{main|Education in Seychelles}}

Seychelles has the highest literacy rate of any country in sub-Saharan Africa.<ref name="cia.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/literacy/ |title=Literacy – The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |date= |accessdate=2 May 2022}}</ref> According to The World Factbook of the Central Intelligence Agency, as of 2018, 95.9% of the population aged 15 and over can read and write in the Seychelles.<ref name="cia.gov"/>

Until the mid-19th century, little formal education was available in Seychelles. The Catholic and Anglican churches opened mission schools in 1851. The Catholic mission later operated boys' and girls' secondary schools with religious brothers and nuns from abroad even after the government became responsible for them in 1944.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Whitehead |first1=Clive |title='...a proper subject of reproach to the Empire'. Reflections on British Education Policy in the Seychelles 1938–1948 |journal=Education Research and Perspectives |date=December 2008 |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=95–111 }}</ref>

A teacher training college opened in 1959, when the supply of locally trained teachers began to grow, and in short time many new schools were established. Since 1981 a system of free education has been in effect, requiring attendance by all children in grades one to nine, beginning at age six. Ninety-four percent of all children attend primary school.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=Seychelles: National Education Profile, 2018 Update |url=https://www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/EPDC_NEP_2018_Seychelles.pdf |access-date=November 20, 2023}}</ref>

The literacy rate for school-age children rose to more than 90% by the late 1980s. Many older Seychellois had not been taught to read or write in their childhood; adult education classes helped raise adult literacy from 60% to a claimed 96% in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Bank Open Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=World Bank Open Data}}</ref>

There are a total of 68 schools in Seychelles. The public school system consists of 23 [[Kindergarten|crèches]], 25 primary schools and 13 secondary schools. They are located on [[Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé]], [[Praslin]], [[La Digue]] and [[Silhouette Island|Silhouette]]. Additionally, there are three private schools: École Française, International School and the independent school. All the private schools are on Mahé, and the International School has a branch on [[Praslin]]. There are seven post-secondary (non-tertiary) schools: the Seychelles Polytechnic, School of Advanced Level Studies, Seychelles Tourism Academy, University of Seychelles Education, Seychelles [[Institute of Technology]], Maritime Training Centre, Seychelles Agricultural and Horticultural Training Centre and the National Institute for Health and Social Studies.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

The administration launched plans to open a university in an attempt to slow down the [[brain drain]] that has occurred. [[University of Seychelles]], initiated in conjunction with the [[University of London]], opened on 17 September 2009 in three locations, and offers qualifications from the University of London.<ref>{{cite web|title=afrol News – Seychelles gets its 1st university|url=http://www.afrol.com/articles/36977|access-date=23 July 2021|website=www.afrol.com}}</ref>