French language project closes with gains in teacher training, school uptake

Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | A two-year project to strengthen French language teaching in Uganda has ended with more schools taking up the language and hundreds of teachers receiving training, although shortages of qualified teachers and limited funding remain challenges.

The project, implemented by Alliance Française Kampala and the Association of Teachers of French in Uganda (APFOU), with support from the French Embassy, was closed on October 24 at Kitante Hill School in Kampala.

Launched in 2024 with more than €288,450 in funding from the French Embassy, the initiative sought to improve French teaching methods, expand access to the language and promote its use in Uganda’s education system.

Speaking at the closing event, Dr Agatha Tumwine, president of APFOU, said 230 teachers had been trained against a target of 250.

The project also supported French holiday camps that attracted more than 1,500 secondary school students across the country and developed two learning books, French Made Easy Book One and Book Two, using locally relevant content.

Tumwine said the initiative had also exceeded its target for encouraging schools to introduce or reintroduce French. While the project had initially targeted five schools, 22 had joined by the time of the closing event.

Alliance Française Kampala also reported conducting education and cultural activities in 45 schools and one university, extending its outreach beyond the original selection of schools.

The activities included school visits, teacher training, podcasts and videos highlighting the state of French language teaching in Uganda.

Despite the progress, project participants said French teaching continues to face barriers, including shortages of teachers and difficulties financing their employment.

Some schools have struggled to recruit French teachers, while others rely on their own resources to pay them. Participants also pointed to declining uptake of French in some schools following changes to the national curriculum.

Tumwine called for greater government support, including the recruitment of French teachers onto the public payroll to improve access to the language, particularly in government schools.

She also urged the Ministry of Education and Sports to review Advanced Level subject combinations to allow students pursuing science subjects to continue studying a foreign language.

These proposals would require government consideration; no policy decision was announced at the event.

The project’s promoters argue that French can offer Ugandan students opportunities in education, employment and regional cooperation, particularly as Uganda maintains economic and professional links with French-speaking African countries.

“French-speaking people in the world reach 396 million,” French Ambassador to Uganda Virginie Leroy said, citing figures she presented at the event. She also highlighted the language’s growing importance in Africa.

Leroy urged teachers and students to continue practising French beyond the project period.

“This is not a closure, this is just a celebration,” she said, describing the event as a milestone in the wider effort to promote the language”.

She also said the French Embassy would continue engaging with schools and education partners to build on the project’s achievements.

Frantz Sidi Ami, a technical expert working with the National Curriculum Development Centre, said the initiative supported the shift towards a competence-based curriculum that places greater emphasis on practical communication.

Under this approach, learners are expected to use French in real- life situations rather than focus only on memorising information.

Loïc Boivin, director of Alliance Française Kampala, said the project had helped strengthen cooperation among the implementing institutions and connect with students, teachers and school leaders in different parts of the country.

The partners said continued collaboration would be important to sustain interest in French and ensure that training and learning materials translate into stronger classroom teaching.