Mauritius ranked 5th out of 20 Francophone countries in the Olympiades Internationales de la Langue Franҫaise (OILF) which was held virtually in 2021. The four Grade 12 students who participated in the competition were rewarded at a prize giving ceremony, last Thursday 8th September, at the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development House in Phoenix.
The winners are: Dwarka Aryanna and Ahmine Faria from Queen Elizabeth College; and Brasse Luis Vince and Sobnack Vaibhau from Royal College of Curepipe.
The objectives of the OILF are to promote peace, democracy, and human rights; support education, training, higher education and research; and foster economic cooperation to bolster sustainable development. Sixteen public and private secondary schools participated, and some 53 essays were submitted.
Present at the ceremony, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, lauded the students for having excelled in the competition. She rejoiced that Mauritius is a pluri-linguistic country and that the students have proven their great potential in representing the country on such interactive platforms among francophone countries.
The competition, she indicated, will enable students to master French language and promote cultural and linguistic diversity. She stressed on the importance of networking which according to her, allows students to discuss different themes and reflect on important matters.
She informed that the students were trained by the IOF and its partners in preparing their performances through workshops run by the International Youth Bureau last November.
The Vice Prime Minister appealed to students to participate in these competitions and to further develop their linguistic skills. The Ministry, she added, will continue to collaborate closely with the French Embassy and the OILF in view to organising more competitions.
