MoE, ILF move to strengthen teaching of French language in Ghana
A framework co-operation agreement for the launch of the mobility project has been entered into between the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the International Organisation of La Francophonie (ILF), to strengthen the teaching of the French language in the country.
The signing of the agreement crowns the joint work of the ILF and Ghana to improve the teaching of the French language.
The Chief Director at the Ministry, Mr. Benjamin Gyasi, signed on behalf of the MoE, while Mrs. Thi Hoang Mai Tran of the ILF, initialed on behalf of her organisation.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Accra, last Thursday, the Deputy Minister of Education, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, said the MoE was fully committed to promoting teaching and learning of French and its usage.
He explained that the context of the framework on teacher mobility was anchored on the implementation of the linguistic pact.
Rev. Fordjour said the setting up of the mobility programme for teachers of and in French’ project was to meet the needs of member countries wishing to commit to a ‘National Plan for Quality Teaching of and In French.’
“For this present project, we have made a request for 21experts to be deployed to three institutions, where their services would be most needed.
The six colleges of education in charge of initial training of French teachers: Mount Mary, E.P. Amedzope, Wesley College, Enchi, Bagabaga, and Gbewaa,” he said.
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs. Annie Sophie Ave, expressed the importance of co-operation in the promotion of teaching and learning French in Ghana.
She said as part of the agreement, 21 French teachers would be deployed under the umbrella of ILF to Ghana to teach French in the country, adding that ‘Ghana is the second country after Rwanda to sign the agreement.’
Mrs. Ave said France was in support of the government of Ghana’s desire to adopt French as a second language.
She noted that French was not just France’s treasure, but also an international language that Ghanaians must adopt in order to be able to work with its francophone neighbours.
Mrs. Tran, a representative of ILF, explained that by strengthening the initial training of primary and secondary students, and the education of teachers and educational professionals, the project would help improve the quality of French in several French-speaking countries.
“To ensure the deployment of the first cohort of teachers in and of French in Ghana, in July 2021, the ILF launched an international call for applications for recruitment of most qualified teachers and trainers,” she said.
Following the applications, Mrs. Tran said a selection process was carried out jointly by the two parties to the project based on criteria specific to the needs of Ghana, and 21 teachers, including 9 females and 11 males from 11 different francophones countries.
BY CLIFF EKUFULBY CLIFF EKUFUL
