French quiz competition berths in Lagos schools 

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government, through the Multilingual Centre, has introduced a new Quiz Competition to the extra-curricular activities of Secondary Schools with the maiden edition of a French quiz competition tagged: “A LA CONNAISSANCE DE LAGOS” – meaning “How Much of Lagos Do You Know”, held at the Immaculate Heart Comprehensive School Hall, Maryland.

18 Schools drawn from the Six Education Districts competed at the Grand Finale of the maiden edition of the competition which saw Sito Gbetrome Senior Secondary School, Seme, Badagry winning the star prize, while Ikeja Senior High School and Badagry Grammar School came 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule commended the ingenuity of the Multilingual Centre for the initiative, saying that the quiz would serve as an impetus for the students as well as endear them to learning other languages.

The Deputy Governor, represented at the event by the Director, Basic Education Services, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr. Abiodun Oni, noted that the new competition was meant to redirect the minds of the pupils/students towards keeping abreast of happenings in their immediate environment, have a sense of history and develop penchant for reading wider to broaden their knowledge.

She recalled that, in realisation of the importance of French as a major lingua franca in the world, the Lagos State Government had collaborated with the TV5 World Service, a multimedia platform for the teaching and learning of French Language, to accredit the Multilingual Centre as an International Language Resource Center; 400 French teachers were trained to take full advantage of the terms of certification.

Adebule, therefore, encouraged the students to intensify their study of the French language in order to boost effective communication, commerce, socio-cultural interaction and national security management with the francophone neighbouring countries, adding that French language graduates stand a better chance of employment by multinational companies and organisations.

Earlier, the Director Multilingual Center, Mrs. Taiwo Haastrup said the State Government introduced the centre to serve as a platform that helps french language teachers and students enhance their oral proficiency and efficiency for effective service delivery.

She appreciated the government for its efforts towards the education sector and urged the students to take advantage of the French programme offered by the Centre.