Gabon: The experimental phase of the teaching of English in pre-primary and primary schools launched in some schools of Greater Libreville

The launch of the experimental phase of the introduction of English lessons in pre-primary and primary schools in Gabon took place Tuesday, October 4, 2022 in the public schools of Angondjé, Mont-Bouet, Mont-Bouet 1, Nzeng-Ayong 1 © Facebook / Ministry of National Education

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.