French is no Greek to students any more

KOCHI: Students seem to enjoy twisting and turning French words in class these days. For, the French tongue is gaining popularity as third language and second language in most private schools in the city.“I chose Malayalam when I had to opt for a third language. But when I fared badly I decided to take French which is easy to learn  and I have begun to love it. It’s easy to score marks in French too,” said a student of Greets Public School.   School principal Jaya Sabin attests to its popularity. “More students are opting for French as third language which is an option from class VI to VIII. It’s three years since we introduced this beautiful language and the number of students opting for it is on the rise. We combine two classes of 30 students each for language sessions and in some classes nearly 30 opt for French and many take it is as second language,” she said.  French is considered to be an asset in this globalised era, and it comes in handy for students planning to go abroad, said a few parents.   French is also gaining popularity among  students of Christu Jayanthi Public school. “The number of students opting for French as third language is increasing and most of them  chose French as the second language too in class IX,” said principal Susan Varghese. “This year around 30 students opted for French in class VI,” she said.  Students from abroad who seek admission in schools here generally opt for French. “We have sought the nod from the authorities to introduce French as an option for third language as it is in demand. The only problem is we are in short of teachers,” said Adv Ibrahim Khan, chairman, Al Ameen Educational Trust.   But in schools such as Global Public School and Gregorian Public School, French is sought- after more as the second language. “There are many students coming from abroad  who prefer French as second language and their numbers are steady. It is an advanced course and not so easy to score marks,” said Lakshmy Ramachandran, Dean of the Global Public School.   Principal of Gregorian Public School Jayaprabha Pradeep said: “The number of students opting for French as second language is increasing. Students are familiar with Hindi and Malayalam and learning a new language is always good. Moreover, after English, it is spoken the most in the world. So many are opting for it” she said.   As for French teachers, all the principals said that though all of them have good French teachers in their respective schools, there is a dearth of French teachers in the city. Demand is high for French tuition teachers too.  French is yet to be introduced in government high schools, “French is not on offer as a language option in government schools,” said N T Margaret, District Education Officer.