The IORA – Seychelles Ocean Knowledge Education Programme workshops, consisting of an Inception Workshop on 26 October 2022 and a Validation Workshop on 23 November 2022, were organized to integrate Sustainable Ocean Management (SOM) concepts into the formal education system. Held at the SITE auditorium in Victoria, Seychelles, the primary purpose of these workshops was to review and validate curriculum gaps within the existing science programme of study for secondary students aged 12–13.
Key objectives included engaging educators and stakeholders in a dialogue regarding current educational gaps, refining SOM principles, and establishing a roadmap for developing specialized teaching and learning resources. The workshops were facilitated by Promel Consulting with funding provided by IORA and in-kind support from the Seychelles Blue Economy Department and the Ministry of Education. Participation was highly consultative, featuring secondary school teachers, government officials, and technical experts from agencies such as PetroSeychelles and the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA).
Key activities centered on a comprehensive gap analysis of 156 science and 79 geography enabling objectives, which revealed that 70% of the current science curriculum was not related to SOM. Participants engaged in working group sessions to validate seven core SOM principles, ranging from the ocean’s influence on climate to the necessity of collective sustainable solutions. Discussions also focused on drafting a working definition of SOM and designing concept maps to structure future educational materials.
Main outcomes included the validation of a revised science programme that incorporates explicit marine-related keywords and a balance of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The workshops resulted in recommendations for developing a Teacher’s Guide, Textbook, and Student’s Workbook, alongside professional development sessions for educators. This initiative is directly relevant to IORA’s Blue Economy work plan, contributing to regional capacity building by fostering a generation of ocean-literate citizens capable of supporting sustainable development across the Indian Ocean.
