Promoting French and furthering expertise in education

The CIEP regional centre on the island of Réunion carries out the public establishment's missions in the Indian Ocean and throughout Southern and Eastern Africa. It offers its expertise and know-how in two major areas of activity:

Assistance with teaching French and teaching in French

It is an accredited coordinator in the countries of this zone, and is active in:

• the sector of assessment and certification in French;
• meeting the demand for expert assessment and training in educational and university cooperation projects;
• assisting with the professionalisation of teaching personnel.

ln this role, it provides:

• training courses in teaching French as a foreign language, French as a teaching language and French for international relations;
• assessment and auditing;
• seminars and conferences;
• logistical support for implementing language immersion courses and certifications;
• accreditation for certifications (DILF, DELF and DALF).

International cooperation in education

The CIEP regional centre in Réunion provides support for cooperation programmes and reform projects of education systems. Examples include:

• training management personnel(educational advisors, heads of educational establishments, inspectors);
• assistance for designing new higher education curricula;
• selecting and training educational assistants;
• schooling disabled children.

Innovation and communication

The CIEP regional centre in Réunion runs a Dokeos platform: an online support tool for distance-learning and supervision programmes. It is also involved in the "Professionalisation in French as a Foreign Language" (ProFLE) distance-learning scheme, designed for teachers of French as a foreign or second language willing to develop their skills through continuing education. It is a combination of distance learning and tutoring, and was set up by the CIEP and the Centre national d'enseignement à distance (CNED) with the support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE).

Network coordination

The CIEP regional centre in Réunion implements a concerted strategy.

Regional partners

• local representatives of the French State: prefecture, Réunion's regional education authority, university (teacher training and business administration institutes), CRDP, CASNAV, secondary schools;
• local authorities: regional council, departmental council, Tampon city council;
• bodies such as: CCIR (Réunion Chamber of Commerce and Industry), CARIF-OREF (training and employment resource and information centre and monitoring group), the Réunion technology research centre, AFVP (young volunteers working on development projects),etc.

Privileged representatives in the countries concerned

• French embassies;
• ministries in charge of education;
• universities;
• French teachers' associations;
• Alliance française organisations, etc.

Donors

• bilateral donors: the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs,French Development Agency;
• multilateral donors: European Commission, International Organisation of the Francophonie,University Agency for Francophonie,  African Development Bank, World Bank, etc.