French language project concludes in Uganda with increased school enrollment
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Alliance Française Kampala and the Association of Teachers of French in Uganda (APFOU) completed a two-year project to improve French language education in Uganda.
The initiative received more than €288,450 from the French Embassy to enhance teaching methods and expand student access to the language. The project concluded on October 24 at Kitante Hill School in Kampala. The organizers trained 230 teachers during the project period.
The initiative also produced two new learning books, French Made Easy Book One and Book Two, which use content relevant to the local context. Additionally, the project hosted holiday camps that attracted over 1,500 secondary school students from across the country. The project exceeded its original goals for school participation. While the organizers initially targeted five schools, 22 schools joined the initiative by the time it ended.
Alliance Française Kampala also conducted cultural and educational activities in 45 schools and one university. These activities included school visits, podcasts, and videos about the state of French language instruction in Uganda. Despite these gains, participants noted that a shortage of qualified teachers and limited funding continue to hinder progress. Some schools struggle to hire staff because they must pay teachers using their own limited resources.
Agatha Tumwine, president of APFOU, urged the Ministry of Education and Sports to hire French teachers onto the public payroll and to review subject combinations so that science students can continue studying a foreign language.
