The Future Foundation School in India receives the esteemed LabelFrancÉducation accreditation for its bilingual teaching, integrating French language and culture deeply into its ethos, preparing students to become global citizens imbued with excellence and cultural richness.
The only school in India and South Asia, The Future Foundation School has received the coveted LabelFrancÉducation accreditation by the French Government in recognition of its excellence in bilingual teaching.
One is aware of course, that because French is the first or second language in more than 40 countries and is spoken by 300 million people around the world, on every continent, knowing French at the level internationally approved, really opens the doors not only to higher studies and subsequently a lush career in France but also across the globe. Back home, in India too there are 1000 French companies, operating.
The Future Foundation School, with its methods and achievements opens just such a portal to becoming a global citizen. Commendably, however, the raison d’etre of teaching French, almost like a native school, lies beyond reasons of global career choices. In truth, the pupils of French Language aspire to read in the original, works of Mirra Alfassa, endearingly and reverently called The Mother who was the disciple and chief collaborator of Sri Aurobindo. The teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother are at the heart of this august institution that seeks to build citizens of the future who stand out, from rest, by the way they think, speak and act. The school makes every concerted effort to create a genuinely French ambience for the avid learners so that the French culture may be imbibed and French learning be internalized and incorporated into thoughts, words and actions. This is done through the school’s bilingual section, where nearly 66% students out of the entire student strength, learn the French Language , in a modern and interactive way through a team of dedicated and experienced teachers. Students learn French as their salient or second language, but the medium of French is used for teaching many other subjects such as Art, Mathematics , Physical Education.
The school is truly international in its approach and offerings. It is equipped with one of the most qualified and experienced francophone team of teachers in India. All the teachers teaching French have the certified level to teach the language and they undergo vigorous training both in-house and the ones organised by IFI, Alliance Française. There is rigorous investment to establish a French Resource Centre in the school premises which is the only library in India with more than over 1000 children books.
There are round the year initiatives to create a francophone environment with complete immersion into French culture and language. The students and teachers also get the exposure to experience and participate in the various workshops, seminars, cultural programmes, career fairs, etc. The school works in close association with the French embassy, Institut Français en Inde and Alliance Française du Bengale to expose its students to the best international curricular initiatives.
The students taking up French are introduced to the Delf Prim and Junior examinations (French International Examination) where the students have shown excellent performance consistently for the last several years, thus holding certification of their language proficiency, equipping them to gain admission in prestigious colleges in France and other francophonie countries.
The school also has a tie up with Lycée Français de Pondichéry which is the oldest French school in Asia, administered by the French government. Students of The Future Foundation school who would like to pursue International Baccalaureate in the last few years of their schooling may take admission to this school The students and teachers also undergo exchange programmes in various subjects. Excursions are also arranged between the students of the two schools.
Since March 2023, students in bilingual sections of Classes 10 and 11 have been prepared for B2 certification so that they can, if they wish, study in France in a French-speaking course. They will take the DELF Junior B2 in April 2024 and will be the first class of certified B2 high school students in India.
The 1st of December 2023, proved to be a significant and special day at The Future Foundation School when it was graced by the presence of His Excellency Mr. Thierry Mathou, the Ambassador of France to India, Madame Cécile Mathou (His Excellency’s wife), Mr. Didier Talpain (Consul General of France in Kolkata), and Attaché Linguistic Mr. Frantz Sidi Ami.The ambassador met the teachers of the French Language Department who conveyed their expectation that the institution be acknowledged as a distinctive one where French is taught, not merely as a language but in a holistic manner and as a language contiguous with the Indian ethos and identity because the proximity to the French culture helps enrich the cultural milieu of India.
The Future Foundation School therefore has established an ecosystem where French thrives as an academic medium and is sustained through cultural ties, a supportive infrastructure and most importantly, through the teachings of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. The institution aspires to walk the path of excellence, so that its pupils are ready to shoulder their duties as citizens of the globe, with elan, expertise and confidence.
