France has become this year the seventh European country where schools have the option to teach the subject of Romanian Language, Culture and Civilization (LCCR).
The optional subject will start in three schools from the city of Le Blanc-Mesnil, near Paris.
“It is the first step, the first classes to be held in France with this school subject and I am sure there will be more,” said Luca Niculescu, the ambassador of Romania to France.
The three schools will have nine student groups for the beginning. Anyone can join, not only students of Romanian origin. The estimated number of participants is 150.
This pilot testing of the curriculum has been made possible with the support of the Institute for Romanian Language (ILR), the Embassy of Romania in France and the Local Council of Le Blanc-Mesnil, a city with approximately 2.000 residents of Romanian origin.
“I wish to congratulate Daiana-Theodora Cuibus, General Manager of the Institute for the Romanian Language, who professionally and passionately coordinated this important achievement,” declared Monica Anisie, Romania’s Ministre of Education.
“I trust that in future the [Romanian] Ministry of Education, through this institute, will extend the programme, thus promoting knowledge of our national language and culture,” she added.
The LCCR curriculum has been approved in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Ireland and the United Kingdom. With the help of 128 collaborators, the subject is taught to a total number of 13,200 students from 446 schools.
The qualified teachers are selected by contest from the Romanian communities in the respective countries. The school subject has a time budget of two hours a week and it is offered for free.
The teachers and their students get involved in cultural activities which promote the Romanian culture and civilization in their schools and communities.
