Uchechukwu Nnaike
1 April 2008
Lagos — The topic, he said, bears on the French Language, which like any other natural or human language, is the most important means of expressing knowledge, the human condition or the existential realities of its speakers or users.
According to him, the learning and teaching of the French Language are necessary in Anglophone countries, just as the learning and teaching of
English Language are in francophone countries. "I therefore invite you to learn French", he said
Kwofie however noted that at least 20 regional varieties or "dialects" of the French Language exist, in addition to several linguistic differences that have been observed in the French used in Africa. He suggested the adoption of a standard African variety of the language for use, which
would not be so divergent, as to prevent communication between Africans and non- Africans. This, according to him, would ensure "communicative efficiency" in Africa and within the global context.
"French Language is a means of international communication. Consequently, the variety of the language that must be chosen for acquisition by students and therefore taught, is the one that would maximally ensure 'international communicability', or maximum inter comprehension", he added.
A well - thought out French studies programme in Nigerian universities, he said will make hundreds of Nigerians, not only "functionally" literate in French to fill the international communicative needs of the country, but also and more importantly, enable Nigeria to play her leadership roles more efficiently in Africa and exert visible influence on the world scene through such organisations as World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Organisation (UNO), among others.
According to him, "as French is a vector of an important culture and civilisation, the teaching of the language as an academic subject must be extended to that of the attendant culture and civilisation that largely informs the culture, although the focus has been on the language.
The relevance of French studies to the Nigerian and generally African context, he stressed, will be further enhanced through "Combined Honours" programmes involving French studies and courses like Mass
Communication, Banking and Finance, Political Science, among others, appropriately structured or designed. core grade, while 61 percent scored between zero to nine percent.
In addition, the average success rate (Five credits and above, including Mathematics and English Language) for unity schools in the National Examination Council (NECO) between 2000 and 2006 was 38 percent, adding, "consider NECO's ranking of top 100 secondary schools in Nigeria in terms of performance for the period 2000 and 2006, the first unity school was ranked 54th
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