This experiment comes in the wake of Gabon’s accession to the Commonwealth on 25 June. The Minister of National Education, Camelia Ntoutoume Leclercq, launched it on Tuesday 4 October.
Step by step.
In recent weeks, 80 teachers experimenting were trained in an accelerated manner by educational inspectors at the National Pedagogical Institute (NPI). Now it is time to « introduce English in pre-primary and primary schools », said Camelia Ntoutoume Leclercq. This work will be done gradually. « We are starting with Greater Libreville and the training will continue in the interior of the country, » she said.
The public schools of Angondjé, Mont-Bouet, Mont-Bouet 1 and Nzeng-Ayong 1 are among the first to be involved.
The introduction of English in pre-primary and primary schools is a measure taken by the authorities following Gabon’s accession to the Commonwealth on 25 June. In concrete terms, it is a question of encouraging the learning of a language which is the most widely spoken in the world, particularly in the field of business, from a very young age. « The mastery of English is an undeniable plus for our young people on the job market, whether in Gabon or, a fortiori, internationally, » says the Ministry of Education.
Gabon plans to adopt English as its second official language after French.
