French Embassy Attaché Interacts with French Language Students at Jamia

The French language students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) had a discussion with Mr Jean-Yves Gillon, Attaché for Cooperation in Education, LFR (French Language Section) of the French Embassy, New Delhi on Thursday 29 January, 2014 at Nelson Mandela House, Mujeeb Bagh, JMI.

Students of Advanced Diploma, Diploma and Certificate in French of the Centre for European and Latin American Studies (CELAS), including students who have French as a subsidiary subject in their undergraduate and post-graduate degree courses took part in the interactive programme and asked about employment opportunities and study options in France.

The interactive programme with the LFR representative was aimed to understand the difficulties students faced in learning French and also to acquaint them with job prospects, teaching and research opportunities in India and France.

It should be noted that the Centre established to promote research and teaching on Latin America and the Caribbean as well as on different European countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and Russia undertakes various academic activities. In view of the growing relations between India and Latin America, the Centre has started a two-year M. Phil course in European Studies and Latin American Studies to understand issues of the Caribean and Latin American regions.

According to French Embassy website, the secteur langue française or LFR of the French Embassy in collaboration with the French Ministry of External and European Affairs pursues three main objectives for the learning and teaching of the French language. It seeks to cooperate with all bodies engaged in the promotion of the French language in India. It explores possible areas of cooperation between the systems of education in India and in France. And, it organises promotional events on French higher education and helps in setting up joint institutional projects for higher education.

Under its language proficiency programme, the CELAS teaches French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Catalan languages at Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma levels besides providing optional paper teachers for some of these languages for various undergraduate and post-graduate courses at the university.

Many students after passing out from these language courses land in good jobs and some of them go for higher studies in India and abroad.

French teachers Ms Shubhada Kaul, Ms Maitree Chatterjee and Mr Xavier Gros were present during the programme.