Agency for French Teaching Abroad

The Agency for French Teaching Abroad,[1] (French: Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger AEFE), is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France that assures the quality of schools teaching the French national curriculum outside of France. The AEFE has 470 schools [2] in its worldwide network, with French as the primary language of instruction in most schools.

Contents

Curriculum

Schools are either directly managed (gestion directe), contracted (conventionné) or accredited (homologué). The schools provide an education based on the French national curriculum for pupils of various cultures from preschool through secondary school, and some receive substantial financial support from the French government. The schools provide a challenging education leading to a baccalauréat, and students have access to all other French schools at their own educational level.

In addition, the schools have a curriculum linked to the individual countries in which they are established. The Lycée Français La Pérouse in San Francisco, for example, includes American History and English Literature in its program. Students from this school are qualified to enter an American school at or above their grade level, and are fully prepared to enter European or North American colleges and universities.

Schools are located throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Most of their pupils are children of French expatriates but they also include many regular pupils attracted by the quality of schooling provided. In any given academic year, around 160,000 students study in these schools.

School Names

While there are no public guidelines for naming schools in the AEFE network, they tend to have some similarities. A school that follows the French curriculum through secondary school (high school in the United States and sixth form college in Great Britain) is often named a Lycée Français and prepares students for the French baccalauréat. Schools that combine the local and French curricula are often called French-American or Franco-Mexicain schools. Schools that offer the International Baccalaureate are often called International School or Lycée International.

Schools operated by or receiving funding from AEFE

See also

France portal
Education portal
French language and French-speaking world portal

External links

References

  1. ^ "The benefits of French international action in education." Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved on November 1, 2011.
  2. ^ http://www.aefe.fr/tous-publics/le-reseau-scolaire-mondial/excellence-partage-rayonnement