§ 35. Mr. C. Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the secondary school maintained by the Marist brothers in the Seychelles Islands is being closed; what other centres of secondary education exist in the islands; and what plans the Government have to meet the situation.
§ Mr. George HallThe Marist Brothers, who have supplied teachers for the boys secondary school in Seychelles for many years, recently announced their decision to leave the Colony next July. It is not proposed to close the school. The question of procuring as soon as possible other qualified Roman Catholic teachers to replace the Marist Brothers is now under urgent consideration. Under the Agreement which was signed last June between the Roman Catholic Bishop of Seychelles and the Director of Education it was agreed that there should be two new secondary schools, one for boys and one for girls. The Agreement provided that the boys' school should be staffed by the Marist Brothers or a similar Brotherhood who would be British subjects and qualified teachers. As regards the second part of the Question, there is a Government aided Roman Catholic secondary school for girls in Seychelles which will not be affected by these arrangements.