The 20th of March annually marked la Journée de la Francophonie, an occasion to celebrate French cultural and linguistic heritage. On 18 March 2025, UM’s French Department within the Faculty of Arts and the Department of Languages and Humanities in Education (DLHE) joined this global celebration through an outreach event held at the Msida campus.
Approximately 300 Year 10 students, accompanied by their educators from 12 State, Church, and Independent schools, were welcomed at the Sir Temi Zammit Hall. They were addressed by Dr Anne-Marie Bezzina Busuttil, Head of the Department of French, who spoke about the Department’s focus on individual students’ academic development and career prospects, as well as the importance of continuing foreign language education beyond secondary school.
Her Excellency Madame Sandrine Lelong-Motta, French Ambassador, highlighted the added value of knowing French for employment and travel in today’s globalised world. Ms Anna Scicluna, Coordinator of the French Subject Area at the Faculty of Education, engaged with the learners to emphasise the personal fulfilment and practical advantages of studying French at post-secondary level.
A cooking competition was held in connection with the event; the four top-placed videos of budding chefs in action were screened, and the winners received book prizes along with a French conversation course to be held during the summer break. Students then participated in a memory game themed around French culture, and winning schools were awarded books.
All students received a special token in the form of a notebook carrying a message encouraging them to study French at UM. In addition, all participating schools were presented with books in simple French for their libraries.
The event was organised by Dr Anne-Marie Bezzina Busuttil and Ms Anna Scicluna, with support from academic staff and students of the Department of French and the DLHE.
