France Ambassador calls for promotion of French learning
07/29/2017
Mr Francois Pujolas, France Ambassador to Ghana, has called for the promotion of French language teaching and learning in Ghana.
He applauded Ghana Government’s vision to popularize French among the Ghanaian society, to introduce it from the primary level of education and to consolidate it at the junior high school and senior high school levels.
Mr Pujolas, who made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said since Ghana was surrounded by French speaking countries, the practice of the French language was therefore, Ghana's best regional integration tool.
He said it was also one of the best ways for economic development as a facilitator of dialogue, negotiations, and harmonization with its neighbours.
France is very much attached to cultural diversity and, in particular, the promotion of the French language because we think it is a real asset particularly for a country like Ghana surrounded by French speaking countries," he said.
Considering this moment of regional integration and if Ghana wants to play its full role in that process Ghanaians must speak more French than they do today," he said. Mr Pujolas said over the past decades the Embassy had being working together with Ghanaian authorities trying to develop the teaching and learning of French.
"What we have decided lately, is to modernized the training of French teachers in Ghana to adopt new methodologies in order to make the French language more attractive to students so they will learn more of French," he said.
He said the Embassy intends setting up a pilot bilingual classes at the primary school level; adding that "this is a project we are working on right now".
He said the as far as the teaching of French was concern, within the Ghana education system the Embassy was putting in more resources and new ideas in order to really make a difference.
"We also want to use new technologies better in order to widen the offer for learning French.
"In concrete terms, we have launched last June IT contest 'hackaton' dedicated to finding new innovative solutions for long distance learning of French," he said.
Mr Pujolas said the Embassy would be working more closely with the media community in Ghana, especially, radio stations in particular to promote the French Language.
On Ghana's 10 year old membership of the International Organization of Francophonie, the Ambassador said: "We support that very much as the Ghanaian Government enter into cooperation with this organisation through linguistic pact that should be signed in the coming months".
He urged Ghana to continue strengthening its ties with the International Organization of Francophonie.
On 60 years of Ghana and France relationship Mr Pujolas said: “The Ghana – France relationship is about better facing the challenges of the day and preparing for a better future, which means sustainable future for both countries, Europe and Africa at the same time.”
“That is what we want to achieve through co-operation and peace and stability, economic development and cultural diversity,” he said.
By Iddi Yire, GNA