The Minister of Education Pap Ndiaye pledged on Friday to strengthen the level of English of students at the end of the 3rd year, currently below expectations for half of college students, within three years. “By 2025, at least 80% of students must reach the required level in English by the end of 3rd grade (at least level A2)”, promises the Ministry of National Education in a press release. The Minister had judged the results in English “not satisfactory” during his 2022 back-to-school conference. According to the results of the Ev@lang test, taken by all students at the end of 3rd grade, half of the students do not reach level A2 .
However, 96% of schoolchildren and 99% of college students learn English, according to the press release. “Improving the general level of students in English is indeed a major challenge, not only in terms of further studies and professional integration, but also of mastery of other languages”, continues the press release.
Valuing the achievements of students
These arrangements made for the English language, “will irrigate the teaching of all modern languages”, says the press release. Positioning tools will be made available in order to better value the achievements of the students, to identify their margins of progress and the training of teachers, in particular at the first level.
In primary school, learning must be reinforced and accompanied, in particular with the voice assistant Captain Kelly, a digital resource that improves oral comprehension and the reinforcement of interventions by native speakers in schools. Some 800 additional language assistants will also be recruited next year and the deployment of bilingual schools in English will also be continued, adds the ministry.
Regular practice encouraged
In middle school, educational arrangements allowing regular practice of modern languages will be encouraged from the 6th grade, as well as the development of the teaching of non-linguistic subjects (DNL) in modern language, and more particularly in English.
The mobility of pupils, “will be multiplied”. The goal is that “each student can live at least one experience of mobility in his school career, where it can be valued at the baccalaureate by the mention European or international mobility”, further encourages the rue de Grenelle.