TURKMEN FRENCH LANGUAGE LECTURERS ATTENDED TRAINING IN FRANCE
From July 13 to July 25, 2025, French language lecturers from higher educational institutions of Turkmenistan completed a summer internship at the «Francophonia» Training Center in the picturesque city of Nice on the Côte d’Azur.
The summer internship, organized by the «Francophonia» Training Center in Nice, brought together French language teachers from dozens of countries, such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Greece, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, Canada, Sweden, India, Italy, Germany, South Africa and many others.
French language lecturers from the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Magtymguly Turkmen State University, Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages and the French Institute of Turkmenistan participated in the advanced training courses.
During the internship, intensive training courses were organized for teachers, aimed at deepening their knowledge on developing professional skills and abilities, as well as improving their teaching activities.
The educational programme for teachers was structured into 16 modules, with topics such as «Using artificial intelligence in teaching French», «Using elements of theater and music pedagogy in French courses», «Teaching vocabulary and grammar in a playful way», and others.
The teachers had an opportunity to choose from several modules proposed in the programme. During the classes, special attention was paid to the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the process of teaching students, as well as an overview of best practices and experiences in this area. The classes were taught by the lecturers invited from French-speaking countries – Switzerland, Belgium, Canada and others.
The internship programme also included «open-air lectures»: cultural and educational excursions led by the founder and director of the «Francophonia» Center, Yann Librati. Participants got acquainted with the sights of Nice and nearby cities. During the excursions, instructors learned about the cultural characteristics, national traditions and architecture of France, as well as the history of the French language. They also exchanged views on the modern development and influence of French as a language of international communication and one of the official languages of the UN as well as other international organizations.
A large, friendly and beautiful gala concert was organized in Nice city, where the participants presented the beauty and richness of their countries’ history and culture in the language of art. We gave a presentation to the audience dedicated to the traditions and culture of Turkmenistan, performed the national dance «Kushtdepdi», which delighted all those present, and treated the participants to traditional Turkmen dishes.
Upon completion of the advanced training courses, the teachers were awarded the corresponding certificates.
As is known, the internship for teachers, or «Summer University» as it is called by the representatives of the «Francophonia» Language Center, is an annual event. The Language Center in Nice, which specializes in teaching French as a foreign language, offers courses for teachers and students, specialized programmes to prepare for international French exams, as well as courses focused on business French.
For the first time the advanced training courses for Turkmen lecturers were held at the «Francophonia» Language Center, organized by the French Embassy in Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Education of our country in honor of the significant date celebrated in 2025 – the 30th anniversary of teaching French in Turkmenistan. Since the first visit of French President François Mitterrand to Turkmenistan in April 1994, the study of the French language has become an important part of the higher and secondary education programmes in our country. This important event is of particular importance in the history of the development of Turkmen-French relations and intercultural communication.
We express our deep and sincere gratitude to the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero Arkadag, and the esteemed President of Turkmenistan for creating broad opportunities for the systematic improvement of the qualifications of lecturers of higher educational institutions of Turkmenistan, aimed at strengthening the scientific and pedagogical potential, which is the key to the prosperity of the national educational system.
Ogulbeg GAZAKOVA,
Senior lecturer at the Department of World Languages
of the Institute of International Relations
of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.