Embassy of France-CBSE MoU and French Olympiad 2012
French Language Cooperation in India
MoU between Embassy of France and Central Board of Secondary Education
and
French Olympiad 2012 Prize Distribution Ceremony
Tuesday, 16th April 2013
16 April 2013 witnessed a remarkable event for learning French in India : the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Embassy of France in India-Institut Français en Inde and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), followed by the award ceremony for the French Olympiad 2012 with Indian secondary school children.
Mr Vineet Joshi, Chairman of the C.B.S.E., and H.E. Mr François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, were the signatories of this MoU.
MoU SIGNING CEREMONY
The Embassy of France in India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for the training of French language teachers in India and in France. This initiative aims at acquainting teachers with current teaching methods and methodologies as well as revising the existing curriculum, introducing new programmes and tools for teaching French in India. This MoU will also enable the Embassy and the CBSE to collaborate on various educational projects pertaining to the French language.
PRIZE DISTRIBUTION CEREMONY : FRENCH OLYMPIAD 2012
Re-infusing interest in French culture and learning French, the Embassy of France/ Institut Français en Inde organized the first ever French Olympiad for Indian secondary school children, in collaboration with Education & Beyond India Pvt. Ltd. (E&B), local educational partners of the Embassy.
More than 100 schools and 10, 000 students participated in this Olympiad where students competed with their classmates in the first level and then in an online competition with the best students across India.
The French Embassy felicitated the participating schools for their efforts to promote French language in India during the inauguration of the French Olympiad in October 2012, and presented a special memento to them.
The examinations were conducted in the form of multiple-choice questions with three different levels : Classes V-VI, Classes VII-VIII, and Classes IX-X. The toppers of the three categories were awarded an all-expenses-paid educational trip to France organised by Education & Beyond India Pvt. Ltd. The second and third prize winners were awarded coupons for free French language classes in their nearest Alliance française.
Note :
The Embassy of France in India has been working continuously towards the promotion of French language and culture in India through its various initiatives, such as Teacher Training Programmes in France for French language teachers, inviting French language tutors to teach in Indian universities, offering the internationally recognised “DELF Junior” certification to school students, helping Indian and French schools to organise mutual school exchange programmes, creation and development of new learning methods and textbooks in an Indian context for the learners of the language in India.
The Embassy’s objective is to provide the opportunity to every Indian individual in any corner of India to learn the French language and learn about France and its culture.
About Education & Beyond India Pvt. Ltd
The Embassy has been promoting visits of Indian school groups to France under various programmes, including educational trips to France. The first of its kind in India was promoted by the Embassy in collaboration with Education & Beyond India Pvt. Ltd. (E&B) in 2011.
These educational trips with E&B have received enthusiastic appreciation from the participating schools. These programmes remain, since their inception in 2011, the only ones offered by any Indian company where the emphasis has been on learning and practising the French language, making them exclusive programmes with an academic approach. The cultural aspect has also been incorporated by offering a stay with French host families (duly approved and authorised by the local mayor’s office), French food during the stay and the chance to discover Paris and another city of France.
Apart from short-term trips, there are special programmes under which students from class XI and XII can spend a few weeks in a reputed French university in order to get a firsthand experience of the French higher education system and help them choose French universities for a full-time degree course.