site.bta"Continuons en français - studying in French in Bulgaria" Campaign Aims to Reach Students Graduating from French-speaking Schools

The campaign "Continuons en français - studying in French in Bulgaria" aims to reach many prospective students from schools where French is taught as a first foreign language, either in language schools or as a second foreign language. The aim is to show these prospective students all the opportunities that are available to them in French in higher education in Bulgarian universities, said in the National Press Club of BTA Peter Topareff - representative of the Francophonie University Agency in Bulgaria, Central and Eastern Europe.  

The initiative is organized by the National Office of the University Agency of Francophonie - Bulgaria and the Association of Teachers of and in French, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Science, BTA, the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other organizations. The press conference was also attended by BTA Deputy Director General Evgenia Drumeva.

During the campaign in different cities of the country, the meetings with the students will be attended by teachers and students at the universities with Francophone programmes, representatives of the University Agency for Francophonie, as well as institutions and businesses. The initiative will mainly target 10th and 11th grade students and their parents.

There is a Francophone educational infrastructure in Bulgarian schools which ought to be promoted, Topareff said.

Prof. Slavka Tsanova, dean of the Francophone faculty at the Technical University of Sofia, said they have many foreign students. The Bulgarian students who study with them are very well prepared not only in French, but also in mathematics and physics. "Under the Erasmus programme we have 17 French students studying together with our students. We are also working with French companies in our country, which are helping us and have equipped our laboratories, and are taking our graduates to these companies," she said.

The activities of the Specialized Establishment of La Francophonie for Administration and Management (ESFAM) were presented by its director, who said the school offers Master's programmes in Bulgaria that are accredited in French and Belgian universities.

Vessela Todorova-Mosettig, director of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that more and more French companies are looking for development centres in Bulgaria, they also need staff who can manage teams and have technical skills. Therefore, the more students there are in French-related courses, the easier it will be for them to find employment in Bulgaria.