For several years, French has not been taught in Suriname in schools. To remedy this situation, the National Higher Institute of Teaching and Education initiated, two years ago, a project to attract Surinamese tempted to teach the language of Molière.
Learn French to develop economic and cultural exchanges with Guyana. This is the will of the National Higher Institute of Teaching and Education of Guyana. Inspe is thus launching an operation to seduce teachers in the neighboring country in favor of the French.
A delegation of 8 teachers of French as foreign languages (FLE) crossed the river and went to Saint-Laurent du Maroni today to define the modalities of these exchanges.
“There are really people in Suriname who want to learn French. I took part in a training course and now I am a French teacher”
Before teaching the language of Molière, you have to prove yourself. An evaluation test of the candidates is requested in order to know their level of mastery. Listed by the European Framework of Reference for Languages at European level, several levels of improvement exist, ranging from level A1 beginner to level C2, expert.
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It is this positioning test that the aspiring French teachers took this morning.
“The goal is to see how this placement test is carried out in order to pass it on to our students in Suriname, to distribute them as best as possible in the appropriate levels.”
At the end of the training, Surinamese teachers will receive a certificate for teaching French abroad.
Promoting the teaching of Dutch in Guyana
This linguistic and educational exchange is a two-way street. Inspe wants Dutch teachers from Suriname to also come to Guyana and complete the offer of foreign languages in schools in the territory.
“We offer Guyanese students English, Spanish or Portuguese courses. Some speak Dutch. We must not ignore these skills, on the contrary. We must give our students the opportunity to deepen them.”
This Inspe project receives the support of a good number of actors: the Ministry of Education of Suriname, the University of Guyana, UNICEF, and also the French Embassy in Suriname.
“We have come a long way because French is no longer officially taught in Suriname.”
A French delegation will quickly be sent to the other side of the river, to meet future French teachers at their workplace. The training conducted by Inspe could start quickly, at the end of the year, if the health situation allows.
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