JEDDAH — Alliance Française, the world-renowned French language institute, has become part of a French cultural network spread over 136 countries, including Saudi Arabia. The institute was launched in the Kingdom in 2010 with branches in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Khobar. With the aim of promoting French language proficiency and cultural diversity, the institute offers general French courses, speech workshops and tailor-made courses for individuals and companies. The Alliance Française in Saudi Arabia employs professional teachers specialized in teaching French as a foreign language. Examinations are organized on a regular basis providing students with globally-recognized certifications. The institute is the only officially approved examination center by the French Ministries of Education, Higher Education and European and Foreign Affairs. The Alliance offers extensive, intensive and semi-intensive courses in French. All courses are for 40 hours and include conversation workshops. The institute also organizes summer camps for children where they are given French courses in addition to a host of education and entertainment activities, such as French art, French games and French songs. Diplomas and certifications awarded by the Alliance Française are “The Diplôme d'Etudes de Langue Française (DELF) and Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française (DALF) are jointly awarded by the CIEP (Centre International d'Etudes Pédagogiques) and the National Ministry for Education. Test d'Evaluation du Français and Test d'Evaluation du Français adapté au Québec are recommended if the students are planning immigration to Canada. These course are exclusively for non-Saudis and the tests comply with the ISO 9001 standard. The Test de Certification en Français-Demande d'Admission Préalable (TCFDAP) is compulsory to register in French universities if the student doesn't have a diploma at B2 or C1 level. This test complies with ISO 90. Amina Hammad, Director at Alliance Française Saudi Arabia, said the institute is achieving a good success rate in Saudi Arabia with around 900 students this year. “Currently we have more students than ever before in our two centers in Riyadh and Al-Khobar, and we are going to open a new center at Jamjoom Center in Jeddah in September,” said Hammad.
