French embassy earmarks €600k to train 150 teachers, journalists in four states

The French embassy in Nigeria has allocated €600,000 to train 150 French teachers in Enugu, Oyo, Lagos, Plateau states, and Abuja.

Atua Nainja, project coordinator and president of the French Teachers’ Association of Nigeria, who spoke at the French Embassy in Abuja at the weekend, said part of the funds would be earmarked for building a university centre at the Badagry French Village in Lagos and for the training of journalists.

“Also, we have helped them to build up their speaking skills,” Nainja added.

“We enrolled them in classes and, with the help of the Embassy of France, put them up for international examination.

“From the training they have got, they have been able to perform very well in the examination, and they have been certified.

“Also, within the framework of the project, we have been to do training for some Francophone journalists to help improve their way of reporting on the radio.”

The project coordinator said 10 pilot schools across the five states were selected for the first part of the project.

Mufutau Tijani, a professor of French and applied linguistics at the University of Abuja, lauded the initiative.

Tijani, who is also the national president of the University French Teachers’ Association of Nigeria, said students often learn French solely for academic purposes.

The professor said the initiative will ensure students and journalists get opportunities beyond academia.