The visits to universities around the country continue by the Campus France team here in Kenya. The visits serve the purpose of strengthening already existing alliances with Kenyan universities, the French Embassy and French universities. They also act as a platform to interact with Kenyan students in those universities who wish to study in France.
On the 29th of October 2020, the Campus France team visited the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in Kakamega County. On this visit, the team was able to interact with the faculty at the university and speak to the representatives of the French department.
Masinde Muliro University is one of the public universities that was invited by the French Embassy in Kenya to participate in the first edition of the Kenyan University Day in Paris, France in 2016.
The team was welcomed by lecturers in the French department which was set up in 2007; Dr Rose Ouma (who is an alumnus of the Université de Rouen) Professor Kazadi Muteba (an alumnus of Université Franche - Comte) and Dr Joyce Kasili (who is also an alumnus of the Université de Rouen). They also got the chance to interact with the schools acting deputy vice chancellor of academic and student affairs, Professor Peter Odera who pointed out the growth of the French language in the university ever since its establishment.
The university has had strong ties with the French Embassy here in Kenya since 2009 when the embassy set up the French student centre in the institution. From this relationship, the university has been able to get different type of useful resources such as reading material, laptops, a TV, a DVD player which have played a great role in helping the students familiarize themselves with the French language, as well as culture.
Dr Ouma pointed out that more students were enrolling into the university to take up the French language. This year alone for the undergraduate studies, they enrolled 43 first year students, 22 second year students, 16 third year students, and 18 fourth year students. In the Masters program, they enrolled 10 students and at the PhD level, they enrolled 6 French students. This was a pointer the French faculty was very proud of since they see this as an opportunity to equip students with knowledge they could later on use in the institution.
The university has a total of 11 schools and 50 departments. From these, the university offers the French language in three of its departments; Department of hospitality and tourism; Department of Disaster management and humanitarian assistance and the department of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Maisnde Muliro University wishes to strengthen existing relationship between the French Embassy and the department of language and interactive education. There is already an existing one between the department of sport science and agriculture.
In October, the institution managed to get five of its students accepted into the Assitants de langue program offered by the French Embassy every year that sees Kenyan students offer teaching services in French schools.
The university has recently set up the school of medicine and is hopeful that students from this sector could greatly benefit from a liaison between the institution and a French one. The faculty was also very keen on forging relationships between Engineering PhD graduates and French universities with the aim of organizing exchange programs or scholarships for them. They were also very interested in taking part in exchange programs with lecturers from French universities as a way of learning from each other.
Dr Ouma stated that the number of French students in the university was significantly growing because the university wishes to grow the French department. Through the language, they are able to build the capacity of staff.
The French language in Kenya has started to pick up at a fast rate, especially in learning institutions. The French Embassy in Kenya, through Campus France, wishes to get more students to pick France as a study destination so as to the strengthen the links between Kenyan and French universities.
Through these university visits, the agency is able to follow up on students who studied in France and came back to Kenya. It is also able to learn how the skills the students acquired while in France are helping them now. What impact are they making?
With the fast rise of the French language in Kenya, Campus France seeks to increase the number of Kenyan students leaving for France every year through campus visits, events and strong online presence so as to continue raising the international visibility of French post-secondary programmes.
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