Salesians launch new English and French language program

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Victoire Rasoamanarivo High School, located in Ankililoaka, Madagascar, have launched a new English and French program for students who struggle with learning a foreign language. The goal of the project, funded by donors, is to improve the language level of students and provide them with fundamental skills for future employment.

The project will educate 60 students ages 11-7. Funding will support the recruitment of qualified teachers with experience in teaching students with language difficulties. Classes will be held four hours a week for 10 weeks. There will be small groups to personalize learning and promote written and oral communication skills. The project will also provide textbooks and exercises as well as audio and video teaching materials. Students will have regular tests and evaluations to ensure they are making progress.

Ankililoaka is rural and mainly made up of farmers and breeders. Different ethnic groups live together in an area impacted by long periods of severe drought that in recent years has endangered the survival of harvests and the people who live there. Increasing poverty has caused difficulties for families. As a result, youth already faced with low levels of general education are dropping out of school more frequently.

A Salesian said, “We want to support our students’ growth and development. One of the areas where students struggle is with foreign language development. The goal is to help them learn languages that will directly help them in future job prospects, which will help make them more self-sufficient to improve their lives and the entire community.”

Salesian missionaries have 11 centers and work in several locations in the country, including the Don Bosco House in Ivato in the outskirts of Antananarivo. Salesians have been in Ankililoaka since 1982. They have constructed schools and churches, as well as a youth center for the most disadvantaged youth. They are working to ensure quality education and make sure no student is left behind.

Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa, is one of the poorest countries in the world. Seventy percent of Madagascar’s almost 19 million people live in poverty with 5.7 million of those youth between the ages of 10-24, according to UNICEF. This number is expected to double by 2025.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

ANS – Madagascar – Fostering foreign language learning to promote individual and community development

Salesian Missions – Madagascar

UNICEF – Madagascar