press release

THE GOLDEN JUBILEE OF THE GHANA ASSOCIATION OF FRENCH TEACHERS

The Embassy of France would like to draw the attention of the media to 'The Ghana Association of French Teachers', GAFT which is celebrating this year its 50th anniversary. The celebrations of the Golden Jubilee will be held in Accra from Tuesday 13th to Thursday 15th May, 2008.

The opening ceremony will take place on Tuesday 13th May at the Novotel Hotel at 9.30a.m. with a continuation at the 'Ghana National Association of Teachers' Conference Hall on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15h May 2008.

Honourable Mrs Elisabeth Ohene, Minister of State for Education, the Representative for West Africa of the International Organisation for Francophonie (OIF), Mr. Etienne Alingue and His Excellency Mr. Pierre Jacquemot, Ambassador of France to Ghana will attend the ceremony.

Affiliated to the International Federation of French Teachers, GIPF) and to the Association of French Teachers in Africa and the Indian Ocean (APFA-OI), GAFT has been contributing to the quality teaching and the learning of French language in Ghana with the support of both the government of the Republic of Ghana and the government of the Republic of France.

For the occasion of its Golden jubilee, the GAFT is organising an international seminar under the theme 'Learning French in an English speaking environment'. Indeed, Ghana - an English speaking country in a Francophone sub-region - needs to provide its citizens with the tools that will facilitate their communication with their commercial, political or institutional partners.

Educational experts, specialists in the field of language acquisition, editors and publishers will be taking part into the seminar. This event will bring together experts from Ghana, the sub-region + other countries on the African continent and France.

Together with the presentation of innovative pedagogical teaching material, the three-days seminar will tackle the theme of the position of French language within the national curricula, the integration of a bilingual dimension in the language learning programmes and French language for professional use.

Within the framework of the regional cooperation between Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, the Network of the Centres for the teaching of French as a Foreign Language in Africa (RECFLEA) will be presented. Ghana, being an associate member of the International Organisation of the Francophonie since 2005, the representative of the OiF for West Africa will indeed take part into the convention.