It was a matter of great pride for Alliance Francaise in India that all instructors in its 17 centres are Indian nationals: Director

The popularity of French language learning in India is not just proof of the warm relationship between France and India, but also reflective of a globalised workplace where knowing the language could be a plus for Indians in multinational companies too, say top officials of Alliance Francaise Madras (AFM).

Speaking to The Hindu ahead of a function to felicitate the 27 students of the centre’s Tiruchi chapter who had passed Diplome D’Etudes En Langue Francaise (DELF), Levels A1 and A2 exams, at Sri Sivananda Balalaya’s Ramalinga Nagar campus, Pierre-Emmanuel Jacob, Director, AFM, said,

“There are over 80 French companies in Tamil Nadu, and nearly all of them require workers who are fluent or at least competent in French, besides technical skills. So it is a plus now to know the language. There is also an attraction towards France among Indians – who associate it with culture, arts and love. French is the second foreign language taught nationwide, so we are already dealing with students who have had some exposure to it at school level.”

When asked about maintaining the quality of instruction, Sarah Belrhali, Deputy Director – Course Director, AFM, said, “It is important to have a high standard for our teachers from the beginning. We hold regular training workshops for them, which includes making them spend time in France, so that they can learn to communicate like a native speaker. We also conduct student surveys to find out if their requirements are being met.”

Mr. Jacob added that it was a matter of great pride for Alliance Francaise in India that all the instructors in its 17 centres are Indian nationals. “Sometimes they have greater mastery over French than even the native speakers, such is their dedication,” he said.

The centre would be looking at expanding the faculty in satellite institutes in Madurai and Coimbatore based on demand, said the officials.

The Tiruchi branch (established in 2010) has 38 students under the tutelage of L. Geetha Sree in the current batch.

Till date, 500 Tiruchi centre students have cleared the DELF exams.

Saturday’s function started with two minutes of silence in homage to the victims of the recent terror attacks in the French city of Nice.

Students presented a short cultural show in French, featuring a song, a recipe demonstration, and a skit, among other items.

Ms. Geetha Sree, co-ordinated the function, which also had K.G. Meenakshi, Correspondent, Sri Sivananda Balalaya, as a special guest. The AFM, a non-profit organisation, was established in 1953.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / Nahla Nainar / Tiruchi – July 24th, 2016