Two Bruneians to battle it out at French speaking contest in S'pore
Monday, May 7, 2007
TWO Bruneians will compete with participants from South-East Asian nations to win a scholarship to a French university at the French oral expression contest in the Republic of Singapore.
The annual contest, dubbed 'Olympiades du Francais', will see 20 participants from the region pitting their French communication skills against one another at the one week programme organised by Singapore's French Embassy.
Nineteen-year-old Dk Nur Izzati Pg Hj Omar and Masitah Hj Md Jaafar, 18, the two representatives from Brunei, told The Brunei Times that they expect to learn more about French culture and history at the competition designed for 16-20 year olds.
"There is no one to speak French with us, except between ourselves, so hopefully we can learn to be more fluent in French, said Masitah who can communicate in four languages.
Dk Nur Izzati said that the learning experience they gained from the contest in Singapore will benefit them in terms of giving them the exposure to practice and further master the ability to speak in French.
Both candidates, who left for the republic yesterday, said that they first took French classes when they were in Secondary One due to their interest in learning new languages.
Rokiah Hj Asmakhan, a local French teacher, who accompanied the two participants to Singapore yesterday, said that the most important thing for the representatives was to "do their best, learn as many things as possible and meet new friends".
More Bruneians are taking up French language classes as they are now exposed to more French movies and cultural programmes, said Rokiah, who has been teaching the language for eight years.
Brunei has been sending representatives to the French speaking contest for about five years, said Melanie Coulomb, Director of Alliance Francaise in Brunei Darussalam.
She said that Alliance Francaise is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote French language, culture, and education among the local community.
Melanie added that there are few Bruneian students who have pursued their higher education in France, after receiving scholarships from the French Embassy.
The embassy offers Bruneians four scholarships for further studies in France every year.
The Brunei Times
The annual contest, dubbed 'Olympiades du Francais', will see 20 participants from the region pitting their French communication skills against one another at the one week programme organised by Singapore's French Embassy.
Nineteen-year-old Dk Nur Izzati Pg Hj Omar and Masitah Hj Md Jaafar, 18, the two representatives from Brunei, told The Brunei Times that they expect to learn more about French culture and history at the competition designed for 16-20 year olds.
"There is no one to speak French with us, except between ourselves, so hopefully we can learn to be more fluent in French, said Masitah who can communicate in four languages.
Dk Nur Izzati said that the learning experience they gained from the contest in Singapore will benefit them in terms of giving them the exposure to practice and further master the ability to speak in French.
Both candidates, who left for the republic yesterday, said that they first took French classes when they were in Secondary One due to their interest in learning new languages.
Rokiah Hj Asmakhan, a local French teacher, who accompanied the two participants to Singapore yesterday, said that the most important thing for the representatives was to "do their best, learn as many things as possible and meet new friends".
More Bruneians are taking up French language classes as they are now exposed to more French movies and cultural programmes, said Rokiah, who has been teaching the language for eight years.
Brunei has been sending representatives to the French speaking contest for about five years, said Melanie Coulomb, Director of Alliance Francaise in Brunei Darussalam.
She said that Alliance Francaise is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote French language, culture, and education among the local community.
Melanie added that there are few Bruneian students who have pursued their higher education in France, after receiving scholarships from the French Embassy.
The embassy offers Bruneians four scholarships for further studies in France every year.
The Brunei Times
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