DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) has launched the ‘Expansion of Teaching Foreign Languages for Government School Students’ project, through starting two four-week Chinese and French language camps, in China and France, within the framework of enhancing and developing the skills of basic education students in the State of Qatar to acquire knowledge in foreign languages during this summer.
Twenty Qatari students who have completed the 10th grade in public schools are participating in the Chinese language camp programme, accompanied and supervised by three Qatari supervisors. Offered by the Beijing Foreign Studies University -first in China this year-, the programme includes Chinese language lessons, as well as lectures and cultural trips.
As for the camp in France, 13 Qatari students who have completed the 10th grade in public schools will participate in the programme, and it will be presented by the Institute de Touranine, a specialized institution that offers an intensive programme in French language lessons, as well as cultural activities and excursions aimed at practicing speaking French.
On the other hand, the Academic Advising Department in the Educational Affairs Sector held awareness meetings with the participating students and their parents, in the presence of the supervisors and representatives from embassies of two countries.
The meeting also informed the students on all the details of the camp through a comprehensive presentation explaining the importance and objectives, introducing the university or institution and the area in which it is located, and handing them the study schedule and activities over the time period, as well as clarifying places of residence and explaining security and safety matters, and others.
It is noteworthy that a number of public secondary schools offer the French language as an elective subject in the 11th and 12th grades.
It will also be offered as an elective subject for 9th-grade students in a number of public schools, starting from the next academic year, as part of the project to expand teaching languages.
As for the students participating in the language camp in China, based on the level of proficiency they will achieve at the end of the camp, a completion plan has been prepared for their study of the Chinese language after their return, over a period of two academic years, until their high school graduation.
The impact and lessons learned from these camps will be measured, in preparation for planning more camps in the coming years, in line with the strategic plan and vision of the ministry.
