Alliance Francaise de Kotte welcomes new director

The Alliance Francaise de Kotte in Colombo held a press conference to welome its new director Bruno Duparc who is also the General delegate of the Alliance Francaise in Sri Lanka and Maldives.

With a prolific academic and professional background he is looking forward to develop the Alliance Francaise de Kotte in Colombo during his tenure .When asked how he is going to improve the Alliance Francaise in Colombo he said.

I have many plans to improve the young Alliance in Colombo. Already we are doing good in improving the the French language classes and other cultural activities. In Sri Lanka we have Alliance Francaise Kandy, Jaffna, Matara, Galle. We follow international standards set by the Foundation Alliance Francaise in Paris. We specialise in teaching French as a foreign language using highly educated teachers in promoting French culture and finally by offering certificates and diplomas recognised worldwide. The connection of the Alliance Francaise network with the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka is of great importance as they collaborate all times under the patronage of the French envoy Eric Lovertu in promoting and encouraging a multitude of cultural activities throughout the year.

Sri Lanka alone is home to the Alliance Francaise, with Colombo being the first to establish a branch in 1954.

Later followed by Kandy, Matara and Jaffna in 2004. An annexe of Alliance de Francaise Matara was created in Galle back in 2007. All these centres run smoothly, we conduct classes and courses, organise exams and promote the French Language. We even have a course in French for the University students in Kelaniya.said the new director.

The Co-ordinate of Alliance Francaise de Kotte and Alliance Francaise in Sri Lanka and Maldives explained how he was inducted into the Alliance Francaise. “I was offered to do overseas service as a young teacher and I was appointed at AF. Colombo in 1987 and I fell in love with Sri Lanka. He added t hat he knew that his life was going to revolve around Alliance, teaching and managing the centres.

He said AF is a friendly organisation, non political and non religious organisation believe all about creating links and bridges between countries, promoting the French language and culture. We always work closely in unison with local communities.

Duparc said they reacted fast to the pandemic by moving all classes and programmes on line without disrupting the programmes.

Deriving its strength from a name which is now recognised all over the world. It has been able to maintain its presence in Sri Lanka among other different countries.

Importance of higher education 

 Duparcstated that in order to keep up the number of candidates, they need to explain to the general public why it is important to obtain a diploma or a degree in a language. Even with the pandemic, they still maintained participation of over 75% of their students. He added that once their candidates reach a certain level of framework, B2, to be specific, they may go and study at a French university at a very moderate cost. “We have fantastic universities in France, but as they are all taught in French, we require students to have a minimum of a B2 qualification to attend them.” Duparc stated that they strongly advise students to sit for at least 200 hours of class before they go to France, as they will find it easier to read addresses, take the bus, and perform day-to-day activities safely.

Gesturing around the library at the AF branch in Kotte, Duparc pointed out the shelf dedicated to university pamphlets and any information that students may need to settle on which university they would like to attend, with all of its requirements listed. Both AF Kotte and AF Kandy host a “campus France office”, which is the only official French agency in Sri Lanka for the promotion of higher education, international student services, and international mobility, all free of charge. 

-Zanita Pix by Dharmasena Walipitiya