Ecole Therese begins admission
A first of its kind early years’ school which introduces children to the French language at an early age has opened its gates to parents at the American House, East Legon, and its environs in Accra.
Known as Ecole Therese, the school is set to deliver an international curriculum, which is a hybrid of Education Nationale Francaise (ENF) and International Baccalaureate. (IB), offered in two distinct streams — A French stream and an English stream.
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Medium of instruction
The French stream uses French as the medium of instruction in class while the English uses English for the same purpose.
To ensure that the children are bilingual, every Friday the reverse is done, where the French classes are taught in English and the English classes are taught in French.
The dream of the school is to produce many Ghanaian children who are bilingual, making them competitive in the global market right from an early age.
Ecole Therese is fashioned to be a centre of excellence in the learning of the French language where the learners are immersed in a French environment.
Familiarisation
Conducting the Daily Graphic round the facility, a Senior Manager of the institution, Mrs Aminata Diakite Tanefo, explained that Ecole Therese was set up to offer education in French and in English, delivering international curriculum derived from the French National Curriculum and International Baccalaureate.
With a colourful playground littered with toys, the school has spacious classrooms, restrooms and a space for toddlers.
The French speaking teachers and staff of the school give the needed ambiance for learning the French language.
Aim
Mrs Tanefo said the aim of the school was to make the speaking and learning of the French language seamless for children even as they were introduced to higher level classes.
“The school opens its doors to children from the age of two and offers both in-person and virtual classes. The school is currently offering admission to children at the preschool level.
“The centre offers a great solution to parents who have recognised the value in having their children speak French right from infancy,” she explained.
Opportunities
Mrs Tanefo further explained that Ecole Therese also encouraged all parents to think about the world of opportunities that would be open to children who were fluent in French as a second international language, in addition to the English.
“I want parents to think about the opportunities they bring to the doorstep of their children just by encouraging them to learn French,” Mrs Tanefo, who is herself bilingual, said.
She recounted the number of opportunities that beckoned her in the corporate world and believed it was because she was bilingual, “because French is an enabler that opens countless possibilities.”
Mrs Tanefo underscored the importance of exposing children to the French language to make them competitive among their peers.
“It grooms the child for international jobs and other openings,” Mrs Tanefo stressed, urging parents to embrace the great values that the French language brought to their children as they went through school.
Other arrangements
She said the school also offered after-school support from 3p.m. to 6p.m. to children attending other schools, adding that parents who might not be comfortable withdrawing their children from their current schools could take advantage of the arrangement, explaining, “this service is offered to children of all ages.”
Additionally, Mrs Tanefo said the school also offered consultancy services to professionals who might need some coaching in the French language.
“We offer the basics that a professional will need to survive in an all-French environment,” she added and cited such categories of professionals to include, for instance, a doctor who operated in an environment where some of his patients were French speaking natives or a country manager whose scope covered both English and French speaking countries.
Mrs. Tanefo believed the time had come for the teaching and learning of the French language to be taken more seriously by all.
She noted that even though French speaking natives generally spoke the English fluently, that could not be said of Ghanaians when it came to the French language.
Documentations
On documentations, Mrs Tanefo said prior to the opening of the school in January, management had met all the necessary requirements for the establishment of the school.
She said management followed all the due processes, having met all the requirements for the National School Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) to operate as a private international school.
"So we have our full certificate to operate as an international school and have satisfied all requirements such as social welfare, fire service and first aid training. We also offer regular training and mentoring to our staff, ensuring they are always up to speed.," she explained.