Selected teachers heading to France in bid to boost French education in Seychelles
General |Author: Sedrick Nicette Edited By: Betymie Bonnelame | July 19, 2022, Tuesday @ 15:10| 4879 views
The nine teachers were presented with their tickets in a short ceremony at the headquarters of the Ministry of Education on Tuesday. (Sedrick Nicette, Seychelles News Agency)
A group of nine French teachers received their plane tickets as they are about to embark on a two-month journey in France to learn new ways to improve the teaching of the French language at various levels.
The teachers, who are from primary schools up to professional learning centres, will leave Seychelles at the end of July and head to CAVILAM – Alliance Française de Vichy.
Created in 1964 and located not far from the Parc des Célestins on the banks of the Allier river, CAVILAM – Alliance Française offers high-quality teaching and is equipped with exceptional technological resources.
Nine teachers were presented with their tickets in a short ceremony at the headquarters of the Ministry of Education on Tuesday in the presence of education minister Justin Valentin and the French ambassador to Seychelles, Dominique Mas.
In his address, Valentin said that the objective of this course is to enforce the teaching of the French language in all schools in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
"I am convinced that these teachers will make the most of this course and will share what they have attained with their students and their colleagues when they come back," said Valentin.
Ambassador Mas said that "teachers need the opportunity to exchange ideas and methods with other colleagues and that is why such a course is important. This is not only about promoting the French language, but also to encourage linguistic diversity, especially as French is one of the three official languages of Seychelles."
One of the nine teachers making the journey, Margaret Sinon, who heads the French department at the Mont Fleuri Secondary School, said that this opportunity is huge as it will help her not only develop personally but to help her peers as well.
"The French language has a huge importance in our schools, especially since it is one of our official languages and, therefore, we need to continue to teach it to our students and find ways to make it more engaging for students to learn," said Sinon.
Williana Cassime, a teacher at the Seychelles Tourism Academy, said that she is very happy to be given such an opportunity.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, we adopted a lot of new ways to teach and for me, this course should help us to find other new ways to teach French and that will be for the betterment of students at all levels," she said.
The principal secretary for education, Merna Eulentin, said that the ministry aims to promote such exchanges between Seychelles and other nations to better equip teachers.