‘Nigeria needs 7,500 French teachers’

Minister of Education, Mr. Ibrahim Shekarau

The French Consular General in Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Perez, has said that about 7,500 French teachers are needed to teach the language in the country.

Perez stated this at a briefing in Lagos to announce the 2015 French Education Fair. The fair is to hold next week in Abuja and Lagos.

Perez said the programme, in its second year, would expose Nigerians interested in international education to French higher institutions offering quality and competitive degrees.

“To gain admission to these universities, speaking the French language is not compulsory. More than 900 master’s degrees have been offered in English in many of these institutions. Some 334 Nigerian students went to France in 2013 to pursue their higher education, and a great majority of them went for programmes taught in English in our business schools, engineering schools, management schools and Institute of Political Sciences,’’ he said.

Also, the Audiovisual Attaché with the French Embassy, Mr. Pierre Cherruau, said France is the third educational destination for international students behind the United States and the United Kingdom.

He added that some of the advantages for international students included cheaper tuition and the possibility of learning the French language.

Cherruau also noted that the fair would improve cooperation between Nigerian and French universities as well as foster a better bilateral relationship between the countries.

The Managing Partner, Tripplelink, a consultancy firm, Mr. Adeyemi Sowande, who did a postgraduate programme in France, said the country is safe for international students.

“There are more than 300,000 international students in France and they can go clubbing in the night. There is transportation to your destination at any time of the day and tuition is 40-50 per cent less than what obtains in the UK and US,’’ he said.

The programme officer, Campus France, another education consultancy firm, Mr. Rafiu Omoloye, said his firm assists Nigerians seeking to study and work in France.

According to him, the firm organises tutorials on how to validate visa upon arrival and job placement in French-owned companies.