Canadian envoy lists opportunities in French language

Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, James Christoff, has said opportunities abound for young Nigerians in not learning French alone, but in having the language in public schools’ curricula

Christoff disclosed this at the maiden edition of the French Spelling Bee competition, organised by Accent International School in collaboration with Maiden International Education Limited.

According to the Canadian High Commissioner, represented by Second Trade Commissioner Dindembolo- Zaya Kuyena: “I feel happy seeing Accent International School hosts this French Spelling Bee competition. This is commendable, as it promotes one of the core values of Canada. This event is also great, especially in a country like Nigeria where the French language is not present in the school curriculum. We are hopeful that this will lead to prioritizing new opportunities for young people not just to learn French but to also have it in their curriculum.”

The host of the French Spelling Bee competition, Mrs Faith Dominic, explained the reason for hosting the event. 

According to her: “My inspiration to introduce this emerged from my years of teaching French language and during this period | observed that the students do not attach value to the subject early enough until they are faced with an urgent need for it. Then, it becomes difficult to enjoy the fun of acquiring the unique language as a skill.

“This competition aims to promote an open mind towards the language and the need to acquire it as a skill for global communication. We would love to use this platform to appeal to the Lagos State Ministry of Education and the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria to adopt this programme as an annual event which will in turn, help promote the study of the French language among young adults, to enable them to harness global opportunities.”