Campus France, which is the French agency for the promotion of higher education, international student services, and international mobility, is set to host some 30 of France’s top schools in Uganda next year.
What you need to know:
If you were to ask a Ugandan student about their preferred destination for further studies, France might not be the first choice for many. The allure of countries like the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Turkiye, South Africa, and neighboring Kenya has dominated the preferences of Ugandan learners in the past decade. However, the French government, through Campus France, is determined to change that and enhance its relationship with Uganda by increasing the number of Ugandan students in French institutions.
Campus France, the French agency responsible for promoting higher education and international mobility, is planning to bring around 30 of France’s top schools to Uganda next year. This initiative aims to foster better ties between French education and Ugandan students.
Academic officials from diverse educational backgrounds will participate in a Ugandan student-French school expo scheduled for March. Mercy Twinomujuni, the head of Campus France – Uganda (CFU), explains that the primary goal of this expo is to physically connect French schools offering courses mainly taught in English with Ugandan students.
The idea for this expo emerged from a conference called ‘Café-croissant’ held in Paris earlier this month, where CFU officials met with French schools. Mercy Twinomujuni elaborates, “We aimed to present to them the opportunities available for them if they admitted Ugandan students. It was a research and exchange program with the objective of bringing them to a physical study expo in March. Many of them had never heard of Uganda before, but they were enthusiastic.”
Participating French schools cover various fields, including political science, engineering, business, languages, and research. Earlier this year, a French delegation, comprising Oumou Diakité and Olivier Chiche-Portiche, met with vice-chancellors and heads of different Ugandan schools, including Makerere University and 20 other universities, to explore cooperation with their French counterparts.
In March, these Ugandan institutions will meet with their French counterparts at the expo. One of the primary obstacles to a higher number of Ugandan students enrolling in French institutions has been the language barrier and funding constraints. Campus France aims to change this by offering programs taught in English, hoping to encourage more students to seize these opportunities.
Mercy Twinomujuni, who holds a Master of Arts in French for Specific Purposes and Entrepreneurship from the University d’Artois in Arras, northern France, explains, “We want to see more students gain a richer cultural experience, including tourism and internships worldwide. With English programs on offer, we hope that a significant number of people will take advantage of these opportunities. We continue to teach French in Uganda through various arrangements, and we will organize CV workshops to prepare the students so they are ready to meet their prospective French schools.”
Currently, most Ugandan students attending French schools are either self-sponsored or supported by the French government. Campus France is optimistic that the expo could lead to full scholarships directly from French schools, further facilitating access to quality education for Ugandan learners.
