International French Teachers Day is celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November. Alliance Francaise Banjul in partnership with the French Embassy hosted a series of events on Thursday to honour and recognise the noble profession of teaching the French language and celebrating its universal culture.
This year’s event is celebrated under the theme; “All Champions: Carriers of the Francophone flame.” It highlights the essential role of French teachers as true champions of linguistic and cultural transmission and honour their enthusiasm in encouraging students to explore the French language as a symbol of self-improvement and excellence, while promoting the universal values of respect, courage and equality.
The event is graced by the French Chargé d’Affaires in Banjul M. Dovert Stéphane, representatives from the Ministries’ of Education, University of the Gambia, French teachers, networks of former French students and students from Ecole Française de Banjul, Grâce Bilingual School and Lycée Sénégalais who showcased spectacular performances.
Activities marking the celebration include theatrical performances, round table discussions and presentations by prominent scholars such as Dr Ndeye Maty Paye- Associate Professor of Sociolinguistics at the UTG and Dr Lise Mendy. There was also a presentation about the operations of Campus France in Banjul to help students who want to have academic experience in France.
Speaking at the event, Alliance Francaise director Justine Guschlbauer, said Alliance organised the event in partnership with the Embassy to not only honour French educators for their priceless efforts and roles in developing future generations but also avail them platform to express themselves, exchange ideas about their daily realities, challenges and ways of addressing them.
Director Justine pointed out that French educators play a vital role in fostering community and enhancing cultural exchanges between the different Francophone countries and cultures. She reiterated her office’s continuous collaboration with the government and other stakeholders to give educators the support and tools they need to provide high quality education to students.
Guest speaker, Dr Ndeye Maty Paye, said the French teachers day is a moment to celebrate and pay sincere tribute to French teachers for their immense work and sacrifices in teaching the language and also building up aspiring diplomats, doctors, entrepreneurs and many others. Dr Paye stressed the importance of embracing linguistic diversity as it enhances inclusivity, and promotes career building opportunities for all.
She emphasised that there is need for continuous sensitisation to encourage more Gambians to embrace French as an international language of communication, adding that these could be achieved through increased training, capacity building and better teacher welfare.
Dr Paye also congratulated Alliance Francaise for organising a successful event and for uniting all Francophonie Associations in the Gambia under one platform to share and exchange.
Seydi Ababacar Dieng, head of English/ French at SBEC International Junior School said celebrating teachers should be everyone’s priority because teachers build citizens and society.
He however lamented that French teachers in schools face a number of challenges hampering the smooth conduct of teaching and learning of French in schools, including insufficient teaching periods, low teacher training and lack of textbooks among others.
