Members of the House of Representatives have adopted the report/recommendations of its Committee on the establishment of French Language Village as an Inter-University Centre for French Studies in Nigeria.
The report was adopted at the Committee of the Whole, during last Tuesday’s plenary.
As stipulated in the bill seen exclusively by Nigerian Tribune, it provides the legislative framework for the establishment of the Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, Lagos State to promote the acquisition of French language at the interpersonal level and on a global scale with a view to making French language skills accessible and to improve French language proficiency for corporate governance around the world while ensuring that French language serves as one of the means of facilitating and promoting international trade among diverse and complex human grouping across Nigeria borders and to meet the learning needs of the perspective students of the host communities, neighbouring francophone countries and the world over.
As stipulated in Clause 2(a-p) of the bill, the French Village shall: encourage the learning of the French language in an environment that will prepare the students in the French Village to speak French fluently, acquire proficiency in French, acquire competence in the writing of the French language, translate to and from the French language with reference to the English languages, and interpret simultaneously and consequently to and from French language with reference to the English and Nigeria languages.
“Hold out to all persons without distinction to race, creed, sex or political conviction the opportunity of acquiring proficiency in the use of French language; provide courses of instructions and other facilities for the pursuit of learning French language; develop appropriate curricular to suit the needs of learners of French in Nigeria; work closely with the French Embassy in matters relating to the French studies in Nigeria; award testimonials, certificates, diplomas, post-graduate diplomas, and post-graduate degrees directly or in collaboration with other Universities within and Outside Nigeria, to persons who complete prescribed courses of study.
“Provide an environment, having all the socio-cultural, psychological and physical facilities, that will enhance the learning of French language, through and coordinated stimulated process that allows the learner to achieve the linguistic and cultural immersion that is indispensable for communicative competence in French; operate with the multi-dimensional and omnidirectional Strategy of language acquisition for the benefit of – French language undergraduates from Nigeria Universities, for their statutory French Language Immersion Programme, students of Colleges of Education, for their compulsory Acculturation Programme, secondary school teachers and students, primary school teachers and pupils, and government and non-governmental personnel; serve as a centre for the exchange of information of French + Studies and of sourcing research in the area of French studies; (k) encourage research into problems of learning and teaching of French as a foreign language in Nigeria, with a view to carrying out research into those problems and finding solutions to them.
“Encourage the development and publication of materials, including books, journals and teaching aids for proficiency programmes and for secondary and tertiary institutions; compile, assemble and publish the results of research in French studies in Nigeria and popularise those findings where their general recognition, in the opinion of the French Village, is of – importance to Nigeria and to French studies in Nigeria; and serve as a centre of excellence and a think tank for Nigerian government in all areas of French studies; carry out other activities as are necessary or expedient for the performance of its functions under this Act; and undertake any other activities, appropriate for a French Village of the highest standard.