#Kingston, December 13, 2019 – Jamaica – State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, has welcomed the opportunity for local teachers to be better trained in the delivery of French to their students.
“We
recognise that if our youth are truly to move forward… if they are to continue
to lead, inspire and transform their world, then they must be able to speak in
different languages,” he said.
Mr.
Terrelonge was speaking at the official launch of ‘Integrate French as a
Language of Exchange/Intégrer le Français comme Langue d’Échanges (IFLE)
CARICOM Project’ at the French Embassy in St. Andrew, recently.
Jamaica
is one of several regional territories to benefit from the project, funded by
the Government of France, which aims to bridge communication and bolster
derivable benefits between English and French-speaking Caribbean countries
through linguistic, cultural and entrepreneurial exchanges.
The
Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, and Alliance Francaise de la
Jamaique,
among other stakeholders, will work in tandem with the IFLE Project Team to
implement the programme locally. Among
the key target outcomes is the short-listing of at least five pilot schools for
programme implementation by mid-2020, and commencement of specialised training
for teachers of French.
It is
expected that the training of teachers will better equip them to prepare
students for programmed piloting of the relevant examinations at the third,
fifth and sixth-form levels that will enable the youngsters to, among other
things, apply for entry to universities in France.
Mr.
Terrelonge said that the undertaking is timely and “a move in the right
direction, if we are to truly develop regional integration. We cannot speak of a [regional] community of neighbours
if there is only one official working language within that community… because
that values one language above the others… and gives the impression that you
are valuing one people, one culture, and one identity above the others,” he
argued.
In his
remarks, Charge d’Affaires at the French Embassy, Laurent Geslin, said implementation
of the IFLE CARICOM Project is consistent with France President, Emmanuel
Macron’s focus on facilitating multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral cooperation,
utilising the French language as the primary medium.
For his
part, President of the Alliance Francaise de la
Jamaique, Pierre Lemaire, said the entity “is quite
happy to be part of the builders of bridges between the [participating]
countries”.
Contact: Douglas McIntosh
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
French 2
State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and
Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, addressing the recent launch of the
Integrate French as a Language of Exchange/Intégrer le Français comme Langue
d’Échanges (IFLE) CARICOM Project in Jamaica, at the Embassy of France in
Kingston.
French 3
State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and
Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge (third right), peruses information on the
Integrate French as a Language of Exchange/Intégrer le Français comme Langue
d’Échanges (IFLE) CARICOM Project in Jamaica, during the recent launch at the
Embassy of France in St. Andrew. Others (from left) are Director of Alliance
Francaise de la Jamaique, Marie-Noelle Brunot; Alliance
President, Pierre Lemaire; Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy, Laurent Geslin;
and IFLE Project Managers – Wendy Dyemma and Sabrina Lipoff.
French 4
State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and
Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge (right), is greeted by President of
Alliance Francaise de la Jamaique,Pierre Lemaire, at the recent launch of the
Integrate French as a Language of Exchange/Intégrer le Français comme Langue
d’Échanges (IFLE) CARICOM Project in Jamaica, at the Embassy of France in St.
Andrew. Others (from left) are Director of Alliance Francaise de la Jamaique, Marie-Noelle Brunot (partly hidden);
and Charge d’Affires at the Embassy, Laurent Geslin.
Dave Reid Photos