31 Jul 2013

Speaking French is a great asset for diplomats and an advantage on international job market, French Ambassador, Ms Anne de la Blache has said.

The ambassador said during Diplomats’ reception on July 30, stating that the language opened new opportunities at renowned French and Francophone universities.

The reception was intended to award seven diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) who successfully passed their 10 months Diploma in French Language and also honoured 30 students from University of Botswana who returned from France after a two months intensive course in French.

Ms De la Blache said French was also a language of culture and arts, saying it was a beautiful, rich language whose intricacies could be challenging but gave great pleasure when mastered. She thanked the government of Botswana for its decisive engagement and for the role it played in the promotion and improvement of French teaching in Botswana.

Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MOESD), she said, had also been such a committed partner since the signing in 2008 of the Framework Cooperation Agreement on Education and French language. She noted that it was in the framework of the agreement, that linguistic internships of 30 UB students had been entirely financed by MOESD.

Director of Europe and America at MOFAIC, Ms Tshenolo Modise said French is a language of multilateral diplomacy noting that it opens doors to the world.

She informed the students that they should feel privileged for having been given an opportunity to study the language, urging them to go an extra mile in learning more about French language and culture. Ends