13 Manila, Visayas high schools to teach French next year

DepEd says learning one of the most widely used international language will give Filipino graduates a competitive advantage

If you live in Metro Manila or any major cities in Cebu and Bohol, chances are you’ll be hearing some high school students greeting you “Bonjour” once classes open next year.

That is because the study of the French language will be integrated in the curricula of 13 schools, as part of a memorandum of agreement signed by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the French Embassy on Monday.

“On account of globalization, our graduates are competing with people from other countries when they join the workforce. Learning a widely used international language early on will give our graduates the competitive advantage,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said.

In the 2009 ranking of languages, French placed eleventh among the widely used mother tongue language, with 80 million native speakers around the world. It also ranked fifth as a second language, with 285 million speakers.

French ranked second among the official languages used by most countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund.

Under the DepEd-French Embassy agreement, the French classes hope to:

• Develop students’ skills in listening, reading, writing, and speaking in French.
• Prepare students for meaningful interaction in a linguistically and culturally diverse global workplace.
• Develop understanding and appreciation of other people’s culture.

In preparation, DepEd sent 21 teachers to the Alliance Francaise, a language school in Manila and Cebu, to undergo a month-long training.

“The French Embassy, through the Alliance Francaise, will take charge in the month-long intensive training. It will serve as a long-term support center for the training of more Filipino teachers,” linguistic attaché Emilie Flambeaux said.

Ana Marie Hernandez of the Bureau of Secondary Education said that the following schools will teach French starting school year 2010-2011:

• Mandaluyong City Science High School (Metro Manila).
• City of Caloocan Science High School (Metro Manila).
• Makati City Science High School (Metro Manila).
• Manila Science High School (Metro Manila).
• Quezon City Science High School (Metro Manila).
• Muntinlupa Science High School (Metro Manila).
• Cebu City National Science High School (Cebu).
• Mandaue City Science High School (Cebu).
• Minglanilla National Science High School (Cebu).
• Toledo Science High School (Cebu).
• Medellin National Science High School (Cebu).
• Science and Technology Education Center (Cebu).
• Tagbiliran City Science High School (Bohol)

Participating schools were selected based on their high scores in English in the 2008 National Achievement Test.

DepEd also considered that pilot schools should already have available support facilities, like computer laboratory, with at least 10 computers and headsets for speech lessons.

In 2008, a school from each region in the country was selected to take Spanish language classes. The success of introducing Spanish to students last year encouraged DepEd to continue the project, Hernandez said.

French Ambassador Thierry Borja de Mozota said that more and more Filipinos are taking interest in the French language, which was reflected by the 61% increase in the enrolment in Alliance Francaise in 2008.