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A new partnership between France and British Columbia to enhance the learning experience of B.C. francophone students and students learning French as a second language. [fr]
A new partnership between France and British Columbia will soon be able to enhance the learning experience of B.C. francophone students and students learning French as a second language.
Three school districts in France will be collaborating with B.C. school districts to offer Francophone or French as a second language programs. These programs will benefit both countries as they share information and expertise on learning French, teaching, curriculum, assessment, and teacher professional development.
220,000 K-12 students are enrolled in core French courses.
Over 50,000 K-12 students are currently enrolled in French immersion in B.C.
and over 5,000 K-12 students are currently enrolled in Conseil Scolaire Francophone (School district 93).
The new partnership will provide opportunities for student and teacher exchanges with France and support both countries as they share expertise on teacher training programs.
«We are very pleased to see a new partnership coming together between France and a Canadian province like British Columbia. This comes as further illustration of the new dynamic set in motion during the visit of the President of France to Canada in November 2014. No doubt that all of the exchanges that we will develop under this agreement will be very rewarding for our respective students, teachers, and educational systems.»
The French Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, and Research
France's Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research representative, Mr Olivier Giron and B.C.'s Deputy Minister of Education Dave Byng will exchange copies of the agreement in a signing ceremony on May 18, 2016. The agreement was signed in advance by B.C. Minister of Education Mike Bernier and France's Minister of National Education, Higher Education, and Research Mrs Najat Vallaud-Belkacem. Mr. Jean-Christophe Fleury, Consul General of France in Vancouver will also attend the event.
The French Immersion population represents almost 10% of the student population in British Columbia's public school system.
B.C. students who graduate from the French Immersion program receive two diplomas: the Dogwood Diploma and le diplôme de fin d'études secondaires (the French Dogwood).
Last year, nearly 2,300 students graduated from the French Immersion program in the province.
France Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research's website.
B.C. government French Immersion Program's website.
B.C. Offshore Schools's website.
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