The Seychelles’ Government has made significant strides in its digitalization efforts with the recent launch of the Child Care Benefit Information System Seychelles (CBISS). CBISS, a first of its kind innovation in early childhood care and education, using technology, is part of the digitalization plan of the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD) to streamline services and their processes through digital solutions. This online platform which went live last month, was launched by the Principal Secretary of the Department of Information, Communications Technology (DICT), Mr. Benjamin Choppy, as part of the Regional Workshop on ECCE for the Eastern and Southern countries. Since then, the Institute has seen an impressive uptake, with 2280 online registrations (for both existing and new beneficiaries) from 113 home-based and 33 centre-based child care services. This represents 92% of beneficiaries eligible for the financial assistance who are currently accessing the child care services in the country.
The CBISS is designed to facilitate registration for the Government’s Child Care Financial Assistance initiative to parents through a more accessible, automated and efficient process. The previous paper-based system has been replaced by an online digital one, allowing parents and childcare service providers to undertake registrations online. This digital solution has significantly reduced the volume of paperwork and the time it takes to process applications and for the processing of payments to the beneficiaries.
At a press conference held on the 18th July 2024, at the IECD Head Office in Ile Perseverance, led by the Institute’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Shirley Choppy, and with the participation of officials from the Institute, DICT, and the Ministry of Finance, National Planning and Trade, the parents and public in general were sensitized about CBISS, its services, payment process and its benefits.
The Head of the Project Management Unit, DICT, Mr. Jude Louis said that the system is user-friendly and accessible through a mobile phone, handheld tablet, or desktop with an internet connection. Parents and child care service providers are instantly notified of the successful confirmation and completion of their registrations to benefit from the financial assistance.
IECD’s Project Officer, Ms. Laurette Lebon provided an online tour of the platform which showcased various key features, including ‘Parent and Child Registration’, ‘Child Transfer’, ‘Child Cancellation’ and ‘Manager and Childminder Registration’, and the relevant documentation required for the registration process.
“The transition to the new system was smooth, with two pilot training sessions conducted with Child Care Managers and Childminders of registered services and their parents. The process for registration was reported to be extremely easy and fast, taking less than 2 minutes to complete,” said Ms. Lebon.
To facilitate the process for parents and child care service providers who are and may have difficulty registering online, IECD has extended a helping hand and is offering assistance. Since early June 2024, some of them have been assisted with their registration, for which they are appreciative as they have not been left behind. IECD plans to continue with this type of individualized support to parents, so as to ensure successful registration on the CBISS online platform.
This month marks a significant milestone for CBISS. It will be the first time, that the payment transaction between IECD’s Accounts Section and the Treasury Department, will be undertaken electronically and mediated via the CBISS system. CBISS will generate the payroll, which is then ingested by the Treasury Information Systems to generate the payments. According to Ms. Aline Bibi, Senior Accountant at the Treasury Department and IECD Accountant Ms. Amina Sarah, CBISS has significantly brought more efficacy by significantly reducing the administrative burden on both organisations when it comes to the processing of registration, the number of personnel administering the registration process and the payment formalities of monthly financial assistance. It is seamless and automated requiring only minimal human intervention.
The successful implementation of CBISS is a step forward in the Government’s Digital Economy Agenda, as part of its Digital Platforms dimension, which is focused on providing timely and more efficient services to the public through digital platforms. The project showcases the power of collaboration and innovation in ECCE service delivery through the use of technology. SPACE 95, a local IT company, was entrusted by the Department of Information Communications Technology (DICT) to develop this state-of-the-art information system, a testament to the potential for home-grown expertise to drive technological advancements nationally.
