French Ambassador to Vietnam: Continue to develop French bilingual program

The French bilingual program was established in 1994 from the bilateral agreement between the French and Vietnamese governments. Up to now, after 30 years of implementation, the French bilingual program is considered to be of good quality.

Students of Luong Dinh Cua Primary School, Ho Chi Minh City - the school has just been awarded quality accreditation from France in teaching French - Photo: MY DUNG

Tuoi Tre reporter interviewed Mr. Olivier Brochet - French Ambassador to Vietnam - regarding the development of this program in the future.

We encourage you to learn French because in the current employment system, most workers speak English but very few can use both English and French. Therefore, these people will have more advantages.

Mr. OLIVIER BROCHET (French Ambassador to Vietnam)

Granting educational quality accreditation to schools

Mr. Olivier Brochet - French Ambassador to Vietnam

* Dear Ambassador, the French bilingual program has been implemented in Vietnam for 30 years. What are the points to note about this program in the future?

- The French government's policy regarding the French language teaching support program is that we will maintain and develop this French language teaching system in the long term.

The first thing you see is that the French government grants educational quality accreditation to French-language schools, such as two schools in Vietnam recently: Luong Dinh Cua Primary School and Colette Secondary School (HCMC). This helps French-language schools in Vietnam join the system of French-language schools worldwide.

Vietnam currently has 21 schools in the system of schools that have been awarded educational quality accreditation certificates. We hope that in the near future, Vietnam will have more than 30 schools joining this network. And that could promote Vietnam to become a very important satellite in the international high-quality French language schools.

* It is known that France will grant certificates to students of the French bilingual program in the near future. Can you share more about this?

- These certificates are language certificates according to the 6-level European language framework for many languages ​​such as: French, English, German. Currently, this certificate has 6 levels, including A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1, C2.

These certificates are one of the important criteria for those who are applying for jobs in Europe. In their resumes, job seekers in the European labor market always have to declare their foreign language skills.

Including this certificate in the French bilingual program system currently being implemented at the high school level in Vietnam will help this program system identify students' foreign language level and ability.

In addition, parents can also see their children's progress in learning foreign languages. With these certificates, students have better foreign language conditions to register for university.

Support for French teacher training

* Sir, what benefits will Vietnamese schools receive when they receive quality accreditation from France? Will France support training French teachers for Vietnam in the future?

- The first point is that teachers and students participating in the system of accredited schools makes the exchange between schools easier. International schools will recognize schools in the system, so they will have complete trust in students and teachers who are accredited in Vietnam.

For teachers, when the school joins this system, teachers can be sent to France to attend short-term training courses or be trained by the French Educational Research Institute in Vietnam.

Training future French teachers is an issue we are interested in and we will have exchanges with Vietnamese teacher training universities. The French bilingual program has been open in Vietnam for more than 30 years. Therefore, we are supporting teachers to attend training courses to access new knowledge and more advanced teaching methods.

* In your opinion, what opportunities will open up for French learners in the current context?

- Vietnam is a member of the International Organization of La Francophonie with more than 80 member countries, of which more than 35 countries use French as a second language and many other countries use French as an administrative language.

French is no longer the language of the French, but the language of the world community. Currently, there are 320 million people who speak French in the world. Hopefully, in the near future, there will be nearly 700 million people who know French.

Learning French will help young Vietnamese people have the opportunity to study not only in France but also in all French-speaking communities, opening many doors. You will not only have opportunities in the field of education but also in many other fields such as economics, diplomacy, science and technology... Those are the things that we, together with the French bilingual program, want to bring to learners.

Another important thing is that Vietnam is a rapidly developing country. This development requires high-quality training courses. France can support high-quality labor for the young generation of Vietnam at a low cost. Compared to universities in the English system, universities that provide high-quality training in the French system have lower tuition fees.

Ready to cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Training

* When will France start issuing certificates to Vietnamese students studying in the French program, sir?

- When France implements this certificate, it will be implemented comprehensively in schools that teach French bilingual programs in Vietnam. We are now ready to coordinate with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to bring this certificate system to schools in the system in Vietnam.

However, we have not yet reached a specific agreement with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. Hopefully, with the new policies on relations between the two countries, we will have better conditions to discuss in more detail the conditions for implementing the issuance of French language certificates for students studying the French bilingual program.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dai-su-phap-tai-viet-nam-tiep-tuc-phat-trien-chuong-trinh-song-ngu-tieng-phap-20241223235221647.htm