Teaching Of Arabic In France

The teaching of Arabic language is a former French territory. It dates from the time of Francis ^I. Between the late eighteenth ^century (foundation of the School of Oriental Languages in 1795) and the beginning of the twentieth ^century (creation of the aggregation of Arabic in 1905) develops a network of institutions providing training for Arabists that France needs for its colonial ambitions in the Mediterranean. With decolonization , the Arab seems destined to experience an inevitable decline. But the important place the Middle East in diplomatic relations of France and the emergence of a younger generation educated after labor immigration from North African war boom revive interest in this language, which has a some success in higher education, but in secondary education suffers from competition from other forms of education and the relative neglect of the state.

Summary 1 Origins 2 A growing supply 3 The lack of comprehensive policy 3.1 A greater demand than supply 3.2 The policy response since 2002 3.3 centenary conference of the aggregation of Arabic 4 The teaching of Arabic since the beginning of the mandate of Mr. Sarkozy 4.1 The discourse of Constantine 4.2 The Audience teaching of language and Arab culture 4.3 measures that are slow to materialize 5 See also External 5.1 Links 5.2 Notes

Origins

The teaching of Arabic in France is old. The study of this language, introduced in Europe after Rome began to train priests Maronites from Lebanon, which France won quickly, from Francis ^I , forges friendly diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire.

This is the seventeenth ^century under the reign of Louis XIV, Colbert decided to create a school of interpreters who would at local intermediaries, the dragomans (from Arabic Turjumn which resulted in French "through" ). School Youth Language was created in 1669.

Republic created in 1795 a second school, special school of Oriental Languages, whose mission is to teach oriental languages Living of proven value for policy and trade ": the first three languages are taught Turkish , Arabic and Persian. This school still exists under the name of National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations. From the beginning, the Republic has worked intensively to train Arabists.

A growing supply

Initially reserved for additional training diplomats, missionaries and soldiers, Arabic is gradually gaining recognition as a separate discipline in 1905 is created the aggregation of Arabic. The certificate of aptitude of secondary education (CAPES) will follow in 1975.

In the course of the 1990s, under the combined action of a current international Middle East where the size is the lion's share and the increased visibility of the young generation of French from North African immigration, education Arabic becomes a victim of ideological and political choices that create a feeling of insecurity among students, faculty and students and helps to give the sport the image of a subject "at risk" where opportunities may expand enormously or dry up from one year to another. ^{The lack of comprehensive policy}

A greater demand than supply

But this enthusiasm has no impact in secondary education, despite the initiative of Claude Allegre decides to increase significantly the number of posts proposed to CAPES and aggregation. Indeed, the creation of posts in the field do not follow the principals are extremely reluctant] to open Arabic classes in both disadvantaged schools where there is concern that this language does not contribute to the ghettoization of the institution in the city schools where it is feared that the opening of this option attracts people in this school "problem" as suggested by Brigitte Perruca in his article The Arabic language classes hunted , which shows a contrario that it has the human resources to offer an alternative.

There is a strong demand for teaching Arabic, offers a consistent policy since the Cl by Allgre and his successor led to a substantial increase and a rejuvenation of the faculty. But this offer and this application does not meet.

The policy response since 2002

Insensitive to this question, departments that have succeeded since 2002 have decided, rather than to educate school leaders with this challenge, reducing or even close contests to recruit teachers of Arabic. In 2004, while the Minister of Education Luc Ferry proclaims the need to diversify the teaching of languages, choose their services, unprecedented since the inception of the aggregation and CAPES, the closure of two competitions.

On March 16, 2004, F. Lagrange, chairman of the jury of CAPES CAPES Arabic and Luc-Willy Deheuvels , his predecessor, sign in Liberation a forum entitled "The Arabic language, a social issue" where they draw attention to the importance of teaching from Arabic into conventional school conditions and warn against abandoning that language community associations.

Meanwhile, a petition entitled Yakfi ("Enough" in Arabic) was launched by students of Arabic. The text repeats the same theme and also mentions the long list of administrative bullying whose discipline has been a victim over the previous year (closed classes in prestigious high schools in the name of ideological reasons, fighting to get the permanent retention of scholarships study abroad, etc..). The petition gets an unexpected success that goes far beyond the limits of the mid-Arabists, collecting over 2,000 signatures in two weeks. Les Inrockuptibles (No. 434, p.25) and L'Humanite would echo.

Given this strong reaction, the Ministry of Education issued a press release describing the closing contest of "totally unfounded rumor."

But in early July, the same Department announces the closure of the CAPES. In the newspaper Libration dated July 6, 2004, G. Ayoub, Luc-Willy Deheuvels and F. Lagrange, former and current president of the jury of CAPES, refute the arguments of the direction of teaching staff who claims that 40% of teachers of Arabic would be redundant and paid to stay home. However, nothing will be aggregated and only opened in 2005. The arrival at Matignon Dominique de Villepin , the more sensitive questions, allowed the reopening of two competitions in 2006 and 2007.

But the teaching of Arabic is none the less affected by four years of consistent reductions that have divided the number of posts in the competition by four (20 positions in 2002, 5 in 2006) and reinforced the idea that Arabic studies are studies in risk, unstable markets. ^{The Centennial Symposium of the aggregation of Arabic}

The Centennial of Arab aggregation leads 17 and 18 November 2006 at a symposium in which several interventions are trying to draw an accurate picture of the teaching of Arabic in France yesterday and today. In a paper entitled The "missing mass": the provision of public services and the challenges of teaching Arabic in France today, Luc-Willy Deheuvels , professor at the INALCO , is the following :

1. The teaching of Arabic in public schools will get fewer than 5000 secondary students, including 1,500 in Mayotte and Reunion;
2. Added to over 1500 students forced to study Arabic correspondence for lack of a mesh sufficient supply in public schools;

While at the same time,

1. the teaching of language and culture of origin (ELCO), financed by the Maghreb states for children of their nationals living in France for 40 000 people, while they are predominantly located in the secondary.
2. education in a voluntary, often religious, and educational practices which are not controlled, gathers 60 000 persons, according to estimates from the Ministry of Interior.

In total, public education of Arabic "in-class" in metropolitan France: 3,500 students together, against 100,000 for ELCO and associations.

The teaching of Arabic since the beginning of the mandate of Mr. Sarkozy

The speech of Constantine

Nicolas Sarkozy maintains open competition and Arabic, December 5, 2007, during a state visit to Algeria , he delivered a speech in which he states:

What matters is that Algeria and France have the French language in common and that so many writers, both in French scholars express what is most beautiful in art, in the wisdom and thinking in Algeria. And I hope that more French people are sharing in the Arabic language that expresses both values of civilization and spiritual values. In 2008, I will hold in France Audience teaching of language and Arab culture, because everyone is learning the language and culture other than our children learn about themselves and to understand. Because the plurality of languages and cultures is an asset that we must preserve at all costs.

Audience teaching of language and Arab culture

These seats are held October 9, 2008 at the National Assembly. Prevented from joining this foundation, Nicolas Sarkozy is read by Ms. Malika Ben Larbi, sub-prefect, a message , in which he praised his action in favor of Islam and its efforts to provide an Arab country access to civilian nuclear power , two elements missing from the statement of intent prepared by the organizers.

At the end of the day, the Minister of National Education, Xavier Darcos , announced five major areas of development for teaching the Arabic language:

1. Generalization of a bilingual sixth next September
2. Identification and creation of pilot schools for Arabic in order to avoid dispersion of resources
3. Generalization of cross-institutional groups in the city center in big cities
4. Chapter Development International and Oriental languages (with an opening planned for next year). On this occasion, the minister discussed the successes are the only two international sections of Arabic that of Honore de Balzac (Paris) and the International School of Europole ( Grenoble ).
5. Development of Arabic in vocational education (including hotels, tourism, catering)

Measures that are slow to materialize

A year after the announced measures are slow to materialize. However, interest in the issue is revived by an article published by Brigitte Perucca in the edition of the World September 9, 2009, entitled The Arabic language classes hunted, which includes part of the analysis presented at the Centennial Conference of the aggregation of Arabic. This article has some impact, since it gives rise to two questions from senators, MM. Yannick Bodin (PS) and Jacques Legendre (UMP) to the Minister of National Education. It has so far not responded.

See also

External Links