After participating in the foundation-stone laying ceremony for a new school on Ile Perseverance yesterday, President James Michel called on parents to help create an environment conducive to learning.

He pointed out that there was a need to revise the school curriculum. He expressed his happiness to learn that the ministry responsible for education had already taken the initiative to introduce civics education.

The President commented that such a move would hopefully help our youths learn and adopt good moral values, such as respect, courtesy and honesty, allowing them to develop into good and productive citizens.

It was the Minister of Education and Human Resources, Mrs MacSuzy Mondon, who laid the foundation stone for the new school, the first of three such establishments that will cater for pupils and students of the rapidly developing Ile Perseverance suburb.

Mrs Merida Delcy, the education principal secretary, described the ceremony as a "historic moment".

"Today's event emphasizes the commitment of the government to provide our children with the best possible facilities that the country can afford, to provide them with the best opportunities to be well educated and to develop their potential to the fullest in the best possible conditions," she said.

The first school will have the capacity for a maximum of 540 pupils and the crèche will take in 180 children.