French Language Day is celebrated on March 20 and was established over ten years ago by the United Nations Department of Public Information to celebrate the cultural diversity and support the equal use of the official languages spoken throughout the organization.
As the fifth most spoken global language, approximately 300 million people across five continents speak French. It’s also the official language in over 29 countries. French became an official language in the United States in 1969. With the continued growth of the language being spoken, a unique global academic network was created in 1990, known as The Agency of French Education Abroad (AEFE).
The network coordinates and manages the French education instituitions abroad. Its objective is to ensure that there is continuity in the public education service for French children outside of France, and to help spread French language and culture abroad. According to demographers, the population of French speakers could rise to 700 million by 2050. With such a big projection of growth, it’s important to understand the benefits of an AEFE accreditation.
The Benefits of an AEFE Accreditation
There are several benefits for schools to have an AEFE accreditation. One of the main purposes of the accreditation is to certify that the teaching provided by the school complies with the curriculum, teaching objectives, and organization protocols of the French education system. The AEFE leads in innovative teaching methods and has the world’s largest educational network. There are over 535 schools in 139 countries with an AEFE accreditation. Of these, 71 schools are managed directly by the AEFE , 156 schools are under a contractual agreement, and 295 are in partnership.
The AEFE prides itself on cultivating high quality environments by having a targeted and selective recruitment policy as well as an effective assessment system in place. Their training program provides over 900 sessions for approximately 33,000 trainees per year. This translates into having thousands of qualified staff members that are recruited to provide students with a well-rounded education including sports, culture, and the arts, in addition to general studies taught in French and English. The benefits of having this accreditation clearly provides a level of uncompromised excellence for setting students up for success.
How is an AEFE Accreditation obtained?
The process of obtaining accreditation is completed once the Ministry of National Education (MEN) evaluates the French curriculum, including the qualifications of the teacher, the quality of teaching, and student success. There are several different ways of being a part of the network and three types of organizational aspects of relationships and management for the 522 schools within the AEFE network around the world.
The International School of Arizona is proud to have its French Accreditation through the French Ministry of Education. We are in compliance with the demands, curricula, teaching objectives, and organizational policies of the French education system. ISA delivers the French National Curriculum in a language immersion environment, using the inquiry-based methodology at the core of the French Education philosophy. ISA is monitored by the AEFE (Association des Écoles Françaises à L’Étranger) and is one of the 200 approved French schools in North America.
At the International School of Arizona, we work closely with each student to ensure they’re on the right track to speaking French fluently, with the goal of one day continuing to higher education and create bigger opportunities for dual-language speakers in the workforce. Contact us today to learn how we can help.
