Ambassador whips up bilingual interest in pupils

Mr Kofi Mensah Demitia, Ghana’s Ambassador to Togo has called on Ghanaian pupils to develop interest for the French language because it could offer a variety of opportunities to them later in life.

He said it was important for pupils and students to take the language serious to among other things, be able to communicate with citizens from neighbouring countries and to improve their chances of landing for themselves international appointments.

Mr Demitia was speaking at the grand finale of the second edition of Ketu South Municipal Inter-Schools French Quiz Competition organised by “Le Monde des Gaulois,” a Non-Hovernmental Organisation (NGO).

The competition, which was among eight participating schools from various circuits of the Municipality, had rounds of pronunciation, oral comprehension, sentence formation, singing and poetry recitals with Sackpine Basic School emerging the champions, while Huime Agordome Basic School and Agbozume EP Basic School coming second and third respectively.

The Ambassador who congratulated all participants in the competition said, their focus should not be the competition but to learn and improve on their proficiency in French “so that one day when you’re in my position, you will not be found wanting.”

“Even at my age, I am attending French lessons, I’m learning because I want to communicate with my people. So you the young ones have no excuse for not learning French.”

Mr Demitia pledged to support learning of French language in the country and gave the assurance of his readiness to facilitate “any excursion to Togo, any contact with schools in Togo to enable these little ones to learn French.”

Mr Michael Kwasi Kondo, the Executive Director, Le Monde des Gaulois said the competition was initiated to motivate pupils to improve on the writing and speaking of French in the border municipality and become French scholars for mother Ghana in line with the Organisation’s vision of making Ghana a bilingual country in Africa.