Lycée Francais de Koweit, the French Kuwait Private School, celebrated the graduation of high school students for academic 2021-2022 in a ceremony held at the school’s theater in Salmiya under the patronage of the French Ambassador H.E. Claire Le Fleischer, and in the presence of the Chargé d’Affaires at the French Embassy Fanny Foncairn, the Cultural Counselor at the French Embassy Benoit Katala and the owners of the French School Mona Al Khaled and Dr. Fahd Al-Rashed, parents, and the educational and administrative body in the school.
The ceremony began with a speech delivered by the school’s Principal Marcial Atias. He wished the students a brilliant future and said, “Because of the sudden cessation of studies in the tenth grade due to the Corona pandemic, we have great concern for your evaluation and preparation for secondary school. The school continued throughout the school year, and despite all the challenges we faced, we were able to take the exams in attendance while adhering to the health conditions, to be able to evaluate you reliably, and this would not have happened without your diligence, commitment and trust in the school.”
For her part, the school’s owner, Mona Al-Khaled, expressed her happiness at graduating a batch of students from the French school, especially after difficult circumstances that faced everyone and the closure due to the Corona pandemic.
“We follow the French system, and there is a permanent change in the curricula, and we hope that the number of Kuwaiti students in the school will increase, because through it four languages are taught to students, and this opens up greater opportunities for graduates of the French school at all levels,” she said.
Meanwhile, Cultural Counselor Katala said France’s cooperation with Kuwait in education is historical and dates back to 1966, when the French language, which is considered as the third most popular language, was first taught in Kuwait’s schools.
He explained that “for the past 52 years, the French language has been clearly developing in Kuwaiti public schools” and “we also have a French language department at Kuwait University which was introduced about 10 years ago”.
In a press statement on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony held by the school for its students recently, Katala revealed the signing of a memorandum of understanding to increase the number of French learners in Kuwaiti public schools, adding, “We have a French Institute that also offers French language lessons both for beginners and those who want to gain more knowledge about the language.
Speaking of increasing the number of Kuwaiti university students in France, Katala said, “It is clear that the epidemic has waned which had a direct effect on people’s movement and this had a direct impact on the possibility of studying in France for Kuwaiti students. But currently the French Institute in Kuwait has reopened the university office in Kuwait in January to assist those wanting to study in France.
“There are about 180 students studying in accredited universities and institutes in France, and this number is considered good. Despite that, the cooperation between us and the Ministry of Higher Education, as well as between us and the Kuwaiti Students Association in France and the Cultural Office in Paris is constantly developing to raise the percentage of Kuwaiti students wishing to study in France,” added Katala.
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