France to train 150 French teachers in five states, FCT

The French Government, through its embassy in Nigeria has trained 150 French teachers in Enugu, Oyo, Lagos, Plateau States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The training is targeted at boosting the employability of Nigerians with proficiency in the language.

The Project Coordinator, Atua lumi Ko Nainja, and the President, French Teachers Association of Nigeria, Feyitimi Babajide disclosed this at the French Embassy in Abuja during an event to celebrate World Teachers Day.

Babajide said €600,000 has been earmarked by the French government and parts of the funds has been dedicated for building of a university centre at the Badagry Village in Lagos and for the trainings of journalists.

According to him, the teachers would be trained with the latest teaching methods.

Mr Babajide explained that with the trainings received, the teachers have been certified, adding that the project has also trained some francophone journalists to help improve their reportage of events particularly on radio.

A Professor of French and Applied Linguistics, University of Abuja, Mufutau Tijani, said he was worried that most students only learn French for academic purpose, ignorantly missing out on the huge benefits that come with the language.

Professor Mufutau maintained that most French students do not know where to practice the language, hence the collaboration with the French embassy on the French-Up your Career, a programme aimed at looking at and promoting the employability of French students in Nigeria.

He underscored the need for the country to provide a conducive environment for students to learn the French language to boost their employability chances.

On her part, the Director of Center for Learning Resources at Covenant University, Ada Peter, proposed integrating French with other academic disciplines.

Mrs Peter believed that combining French with international relations or digital humanities could make the language more attractive to students and ensuring that the curriculum equips students with employable skills.