Home
Home

Maiden National Conference on French in Ghana Held Successfully

The University of Ghana Department of French, supported by the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID), the French Embassy in Ghana, and Institut Français, successfully organised and hosted the maiden National Conference on French in Ghana. The conference which was organised against the backdrop of Journée internationale de la Francophonie brought together stakeholders in the educational sector to discuss the role of players in the teaching and learning of french in Ghana. 

The opening ceremony featured opening remarks by Professor Daniel Ofori (Provost, College of Humanities, University of Ghana), Professor Helen Yitah (Dean, School of Languages, University of Ghana), and Mr Alexandre Foulon (French Embassy in Ghana). There were also representatives from the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL), Ghana Association of French Teachers (GAFT), Centre Regionaux pour l’Enseignement de Français, (CREF), University of Ghana Basic School, Presbyterian Senior High School, Legon (PRESEC), and individuals from various government and private agencies

The keynote speaker, Professor D. D. Kuupole, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, in his address outlined some underlying obstacles to the creation of a national French language policy and challenges in the implementation of various governmental strategies. He therefore proposed a framework of symbiotic acculturationand suggested some actions to support the framework such as:

  • Creation of more departments of French in Colleges of Education alongside universities.
  • Organization of more seminars and in-service training in methodology of teaching French in Ghana.
  • An efficient implementation of policies leading to adequate training of teachers, adoption of good teaching methods and the creation of motivational packages for the teaching and learning of French.

The 3-day conference included rich and diverse presentations and discussions on the theme. Participants shared their experiences and expertise during the symposium and panel discussions following the opening ceremony. At the end of the day, the sharing of knowledge, best practices, and the networking proved immensely useful for all attendees. The Department of French hopes to build upon the foundation of the conference to continue engaging with stakeholders and improve the climate for french language teaching and learning

   

Article Type: 
news